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Oklahoma tribes send fewer gaming dollars to state amid growth

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

The Eastern Shawnee Tribe is reopening the Bordertown Casino and Arena near the Missouri border tomorrow. Photo from Facebook

Oklahoma now ranks second in the nation in terms of tribal casinos, with 124 facilities pulling in $3.8 billion in 2013, according to the new edition of Casino City's Indian Gaming Industry Report.

The amount represented a growth of 1.7 percent from the prior year. At the same time, tribes shared fewer gaming revenues with the state despite an increase in the number of gaming machines.

The reason for the decline is attributed to the types of games being offered at the facilities. Tribes aren't required to share revenues from Class II machines as opposed to Class III machines.

According to the new report, Class II machines represented 42 percent of the devices at tribal casinos in 2013, up from 34 percent in 2008. Class III machines, on the other hand, represented 58 percent, down from 66 percent. Additonally, tribes lowered the number of table games, also considered Class III, the report said.

Voters in Oklahoma approved the Class III gaming compact through State Question 712 in 2004. Tribes have shared nearly $900 million with the state since then.

Get the Story:
Indian gaming revenues rise while state fees fall (AP 3/31)
Take at state-line casinos up in '13 (The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette 3/31)
Oklahoma tribe re-opening Bordertown Casino near Missouri (The Tulsa World 4/1)