A giveaway at the Ioway Casino, owned and operated by the Iowa Tribe in Oklahoma. Photo: Ioway Casino

Iowa Tribe misses deadline again to launch internet poker project

The Iowa Tribe has once again failed to launch an online poker site.

PokerTribe.Com promised to offer real-money play last year but kept missing deadlines. A message on the site says the tribe is still working to secure "international gaming licenses."

"The site will launch once we secure the license," David McCullough, an attorney for the tribe, told The Oklahoman. "It has been a long process and an interesting process, because it just hasn't been done before, so everything is new."

The project has its roots in a similarly-named site that was supposed to be launched by the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes. A change in leadership prompted the tribe to pull the plug, after spending $9.4 million on it, The Oklahoman reported.

The National Indian Gaming Commission appears to be looking into the arrangement, the paper said. The agency recently requested documents from the tribe, whose leaders believe they were cheated.

"I remain committed to carrying out the directive of the Tribal Council to bring to justice, hopefully with the support of federal authorities, everyone who played a role in the PokerTribes scheme to take advantage of the tribes," Governor Eddie Hamilton said in a statement to the paper.

In November 2015, an arbitration decision confirmed that the Iowa Tribe could offer online gaming under the terms of its Class III gaming compact with the state of Oklahoma.

The tribe offers gaming at three physical sites: the Cimarron Casino, the Ioway Casino and the Ioway Travel Plaza.

Read More on the Story:
Oklahoma tribe's launch of international gaming website stalled (The Oklahoman 5/22)
NIGC probes UEG’s sketchy tribal online gambling deals (Calvin Ayre 5/22)

Relevant Documents:
Iowa Tribe Arbitration Decision | Complaint: Iowa Tribe v. State of Oklahoma | Iowa Tribe Letter to State of Oklahoma | State of Oklahoma Letter to Iowa Tribe

Join the Conversation

Related Stories
Iowa Tribe seeks decision in favor of PokerTribe.Com gaming site (April 7, 2016)
Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribal Tribune: Gaming website resurfaces (January 14, 2016)