Oklahoma lawmakers are not interested in a proposal to allow Class III games at tribal casinos, sponsored by Oklahoma state Rep. Kevin Wallace, chairman of the House Appropriations and Budget Committee. Wallace’s legislation would let tribes could offer craps and roulette at their casinos in exchange for giving up car tag revenue.
The proposal was not brought up during the legislature’s recent special session. Lawmakers were sent home after just three days due to a controversy over cigarette taxes.
Officials at the Cherokee Nation, the state’s largest tribe, had no comment about Wallace’s proposal. The tribe shares car tag revenues with the local community.
Oklahoma legislators frequently have tried to link tobacco taxes to the state’s Class III gaming compact. The Bureau of Indian Affairs has not approved these efforts since they often are considered an attempt to require more revenues from tribes.
Voters authorized the existing tribal gaming compact in 2004. Since then, Oklahoma tribes have shared more than $1.1 billion with the state. In fiscal
2016, Oklahoma collected a record $132 million, according to the most recent annual report. The first compacts will expire in 2020.
