Tribal Gaming
Tribal gaming dates back to the 1970s when a number of Indian tribes established bingo operations. The first Indian casino was built in Florida by the Seminole tribe in 1979. Today, there are 524 Indian gaming operations in the United States.
Gaming tribes operate in 35 states and their annual revenue exceeds $38 billion. This represents 43% of all casino gaming revenue in the U.S. Oklahoma has the most tribal gaming and casinos with 139.
Here comes the Judge
Two Supreme Court decisions paved the way for tribal gaming. In 1976, the court ruled that states could not assess taxes on property owned by Native people on tribal land. And in the 1987 case, the high court ruled that gambling in tribal lands could not be regulated by states.
Jobs, Jobs, Jobs
Indian gaming provides 612,000 jobs and pays $9 billion in taxes. Young adults have moved back to reservations fueling an 11.5% population increase. Adult employment has increased by 26% and a there is a 14% decline in the number of working poor.
WinStar World Casino
WinStar is located in Thackerville, Oklahoma and is owned by the Chickasaw Nation. The casino opened as the WinStar Casino in 2004 and expanded and renamed to WinStar World Casino in 2009. Today, WinStar has surpassed, Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut to become the largest casino in the United States and one of the largest in the world.
WinStar Casino has 10,000 electronic games, 100 table games and a 55-table poker room. There are 1,399 hotel rooms, two 18-hole golf courses, 20 restaurants and 12 bars. Their Lucas Oil Live entertainment venue holds 6,500 seats.
Choctaw Casinos and Resorts
Part of the Oklahoma Choctaw Nation which is the third-largest Indian nation in the United States manages 8 casinos. Choctaw Casino and Resort in Durant, Oklahoma is their Flagship. The Choctaw Casino Bingo facility was built in 1987 and was the first of the Choctaw gaming franchise. In 2010, a larger casino was built with 7,600 slot machines, 100 table games, a 30-table poker room and racebook. Choctaw also hosts the World Poker Tour (WPT) and World Series of Poker (WSOP) events.
The Choctaw “District” includes a video arcade, movie theater, bowling alley, and virtual reality arena. The “Sky Tower” hotel features 21 floors and 1,616 rooms. The 3,000-seat Choctaw Grand Theater is a two-time winner of the Academy of Country Music (ACM) awards for Casino of the Year Theater.
Poker Origins