Oklahoma pushes to declare gambling illegal

Governor Kevin Stitt asked a federal judge to rule certain types of gambling illegal in Oklahoma, specifically at tribal casinos.

US.- A major concern looms above tribal casinos in Oklahoma as gambling may be deemed illegal. Maybe not all gambling, but Governor Kevin Stitt asked a federal judge to order them to stop offering some games.

Stitt wants Class III games to stop operating, which is why he filed a lawsuit late on Wednesday.

“We are reviewing the pleading his lawyers filed on his behalf,” senior counsel for the Chickasaw Nation Stephen Greetham said. “We look forward to learning what legal basis he will claim to justify the uncertainty he has endeavoured to create.”

Stitt not only wants to get that part of Oklahoma gambling to be illegal but also wants more from the tribes. He is pushing to discuss a new gaming compact as he says the industry became illegal on January 1. On that date, the latest one expired, but tribes argue it renews automatically and so the struggle continues.

The struggle

Kevin Stitt, governor of Oklahoma, urged tribal leaders to sign an extension in December to continue negotiations on the gaming compact. He wanted the extension to assure that business will continue without problems as they resolve the dispute.

“To protect all the hard-working Oklahomans and the tribal members who are employed at more than 100 casinos across our great state, I am announcing today that the state of Oklahoma will be requesting tribal leaders to join me in signing an extension to the gaming compact,” Stitt said, according to Tulsa World. “The language in this extension will allow each side who signs the extension to retain their legal position.”

The issue revolves around the date that the gaming compacts expire. While the governor considers that January 1 is the date in which the gaming compacts are no longer viable, the tribes say that they automatically renew.