NIGC | Public Relations

Study outlines impacts of tribal gaming on economy in Oklahoma

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

A view of the trade show floor at the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association convention in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Photo from Facebook

Tribal gaming contributed $6.3 billion to Oklahoma's economy in 2014, according to a new study commissioned by the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association.

Tribes put 23,000 people to work at their casinos, the study said. Of those, about 60 percent were non-Indians. Women accounted for 54 percent overall, The Tulsa World reported.

“I get asked all the time how many of these employees are tribal citizens and how many are non-citizens," Kyle Dean, the author of the study, told the paper.

Tribal gaming also indirectly supported another 14,000 jobs throughout the state, according to the study. Wages for all of the directly and indirectly supported jobs totaled $1.8 billion.

Oklahoma is home to more gaming facilities than any other state. The region saw the largest growth rate in 2014, the National Indian Gaming Commission reported last week.

Get the Story:
Most workers in tribal gaming industry are non-tribal members, study shows (The Tulsa World 7/29)
Study: Tribal gaming has multi-billion dollar economic impact for Oklahoma (The Oklahoman 7/28)
Study shows impact of tribal casinos on economy (KOKH 7/28)