Governor Bill Anoatubby delivers the Chickasaw Nation State of the Nation Address at the Chickasaw Nation Annual Meeting and Festival in Tishomingo, Oklahoma, on October 7, 2017. Photo: Chickasaw Nation

Public Relations

Chickasaw Nation gaming revenues hit $1.44 billion as enterprise keeps growing

Thursday, December 7, 2017

The Chickasaw Nation continues to see growth in its gaming enterprise.

According to The Oklahoman, the tribe took in more than $1.44 billion in gaming revenue for the fiscal year that ended on September 30. That represents an 11 percent increase from the prior year, the paper said.

"Net profits from our businesses are the highest ever in Chickasaw Nation history," spokesperson Tony Choate told the paper. "Our casinos continue to do very well. We continue to reinvest in our existing businesses as we diversify our business portfolio."

Gaming revenues fund governmental programs and services for a population base that continues to grow. The tribe has more than 66,000 citizens, with more than 17,000 added since 2001, The Oklahoman reported.

“More Chickasaws than ever before are united and working to move our nation forward," Governor Bill Anoatubby, who has led the tribe for 30 years, said in his 2017 State of the Nation address. "More Chickasaws than ever before can stand together and celebrate because, today, the state of the Chickasaw Nation is stronger than ever before.”

Indianz.Com on Google Maps: Chickasaw Nation Gaming Facilities

The tribe operates nearly two dozen casinos, more than any other tribe in Oklahoma and more than any other in the U.S. Most of the facilities are located on land acquired after 1988.

Generally, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act bars gaming on such lands. But the Chickasaw Nation has repeatedly utilized an exception that applies to lands within a former reservation in Oklahoma.

Unlike other exceptions, which require tribes to acquire land within certain time frames and within certain distances of their headquarters or population centers, the Oklahoma exception can be utilized without limits. It is most frequently applied to tribes in the eastern region of the state, where the Chickasaw Nation is based.

The tribe is currently building its newest casino in Terral, near the border with Texas, an important gaming market. The land was acquired on the last full day of the Obama administration. It qualified for the Oklahoma exception, the Bureau of Indian Affairs determined.

Read More on the Story:
Business is booming for Chickasaw Nation (The Oklahoman December 7, 2017)