Oklahoma tribal chair rails against lack of consultation in sports betting debate

Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association (OIGA) chairman Matthew L. Morgan has revealed the tribal non-profit organisation was not consulted for its input on new sports betting proposals for the state by Governor Kevin Stitt.

Writing a post on OIGA’s page on LinkedIn, Morgan rebuked his opposite number following publication of the plans by the Governor’s office on November 3.

“The members of the OIGA have been preparing to receive an offer from the state on sports betting for the past couple of years, and while we appreciate Governor Stitt finally joining the sports betting conversation, to date he has not engaged in meaningful and respectful government-to-government discussion with tribes,” Morgan wrote.

“We remain hopeful that he is committed to moving forward in a productive manner in accord with established law and process, which would include working with the Oklahoma Legislature to offer a compact supplement to tribes within the State-Tribal Gaming Act construct that protects the tribes’ ‘substantial gaming exclusivity.’

“To approach it otherwise is simply to invite failure,” Morgan added.

According to estimates provided on the OIGA website, Oklahoma’s tribal operators have contributed $1.623bn in tribal exclusivity fees to operate casino gaming in the state since 2006, with tribal operators supporting more than 28,000 jobs across the state.

Addressing this contribution, Morgan continued: “Since the State-Tribal Gaming Act was offered by the people of Oklahoma in 2004 and renewed in 2020, tribes have taken on 100% of costs and associated risks, paid all of the state’s monitoring expenses, exceeded all revenue projections, and have become the recognized national industry leader.

“Likewise, Oklahoma continues to benefit under our model compact at a rate that far exceeds any other state with an Indian Gaming Regulatory Act compact with tribal nations.

“We look forward to seeing the more than $2bn that gaming tribes have already contributed directly to the state continue to grow and positively impact the state’s education funding,” the OIGA chair concluded.

Governor Stitt’s plans would give the state’s 33 tribal gaming operators exclusivity over sports betting both online and via in-person sportsbooks at tribal casinos. Operators would be taxed at a rate of 15% for land-based spots betting, rising to 20% for online.

In his remarks accompanying those plans, Governor Stitt said he would “do it right” with sports betting, lauding the potential revenue benefit for the state’s tribes by adding the vertical to existing operations.