Officials with Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association said Monday that all of its tribal members have closed their casinos temporarily in an effort to stem the coronavirus outbreak.
Oklahoma is considered the nation’s second-largest Indian gaming market behind California, producing almost $4.4 billion in annual gaming revenues according to the most recent Casino City’s Indian Gaming Industry Report.
Oklahoma’s casinos draw business from many neighboring states, such as Texas, that do not have commercial or tribal casinos.
WinStar World Resort in southern Oklahoma, which is operated by the Chickasaw Nation, is the largest casino in the U.S. with more than 8,000 slot machines.
Because the tribes are independent sovereign nations, neither the governor nor state gaming regulatory agencies could order the casinos to close, as has happened in commercial casino markets across the U.S.
In a statement, the association said the tribes, while unique, were united under the common purpose of preserving public health.
“Nothing is of greater importance to the Tribes than the health and well-being of the citizens of their Nations and the citizens of Oklahoma,” OIGA Chairman Matthew L. Morgan said in a statement. “We always want to be good neighbors and to lead by positive example. In making the decision to temporarily suspend our gaming operations, we are hopeful that we will have a positive impact on the health of Oklahomans.”
Each sovereign Tribal Nation has drafted its own COVID-19 response plans and protocols.
OIGA has assembled those and made them available at https://oiga.org/news/covid-19/.
Howard Stutz is the executive editor of CDC Gaming Reports. He can be reached at hstutz@cdcgaming.com. Follow @howardstutz on Twitter.
