Oklahoma gaming compacts spark dispute

The tribes operating casinos are refusing to go into arbitration with the Oklahoma government over the renewal of their gaming compacts.

US.- A new conflict over gaming compacts has arisen in Oklahoma. The tribes with casinos refuse to go into arbitration with the government over the renewal of their deals with the state.

Tribal leaders recently met with Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter but failed to reach an agreement on gaming compacts. Nearly 200 tribal leaders and their representatives attended the meeting.

The dispute is over the renewal of the compacts, which, according to Governor Kevin Stitt, expire January 1, 2020. However, the tribes say they renew automatically.

“The state’s argument against renewal is not supported by any facts or law and arbitration is not presently justified,” the tribes wrote in a letter.

“If the state intends to make a proposed revision to our agreement, we will insist that it justify any proposal with reference to a meaningful state concession of proportionate value,” they said.

“The governor is disappointed the tribes declined the state’s proposal for arbitration in order to resolve our legal differences and that they did not present an alternative resolution towards progress,” said Baylee Lakey, Stitt’s communications director. “The governor will be providing a full update in the coming days about the current state of negotiations.”

Governor’s comments

Gov. Kevin Stitt suggested modifying the gaming compacts as the gambling industry has matured in Oklahoma.

“In this case, that means sitting down with our tribal partners to discuss how to bring these 15-year-old compacts to an agreement that reflects market conditions for the gaming industry seen around the nation today,” said Stitt.

According to tribe leaders, Oklahoma casinos contribute through such “exclusivity fees.” It doesn’t include what they invest in health care, education and infrastructure that benefits the population.