Oklahoma Indian Gaming Revenues Could Be Leveling Off

• Joe Wertz
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  Joe Wertz was a reporter and managing editor for StateImpact Oklahoma from 2011-2019. He reported on energy and environment issues for national NPR audiences and other national outlets. He previously worked as a managing editor, assistant editor and staff reporter at several major Oklahoma newspapers and studied journalism at the University of Central Oklahoma.

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Oklahoma Indian gaming revenues increased by 3.9 percent in 2010, but the rate of growth has slowed significantly.

State Indian gaming generated about $3.23 billion in revenue in 2010, writes The Oklahoman, citing the 2012 Casino City’s Indian Gaming Industry Report by Economist Alan Meister.

“I think the economy may be taking a toll,” Meister tells reporter Randy Ellis.

There’s often a lag between the start of a recession and a decrease in gambling, Meister told the paper.

The revenue growth has slowed since 2005, a high point that immediately followed the authorization of Las Vegas-style gaming machines and a boom of Indian casino construction, the economist told The Oklahoman.

Oklahoma is second in the nation when it comes to tribal gaming, reports the Tulsa World’s Wayne Greene, also examining the report.

California is No. 1, according to the report. The Sooner State actually has more gaming centers than any other state, but they’re small, and many occupy smoke shops, convenience stores and travel centers instead of standalone casinos.

Here’s a visual look at the numbers in Meister’s report.

Revenue Growth at Oklahoma Indian Casinos

Source: The Oklahoman via Casino City’s Indian Gaming Industry Report 2012

Meister’s report only goes through 2010, but there are signs that Indian gaming revenues have leveled off.

The state received $122.2 million from tribal gaming compact fees in fiscal year 2011, a 3.4 percent increase over the previous fiscal year, The Oklahoman reports.

And the state has received about $81 million from tribal gaming compact fees through the first eight months of fiscal year 2012, which is a slight decrease of about $379,000 from the amount the state received for the first eight months of fiscal year 2011.