\nWhile the Oklahoma Supreme Court has declared those agreements invalid under Oklahoma law, their validity under federal law must also be addressed to avoid damage to the integrity of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act,”<\/strong> attorneys for the tribes said in a statement. “The tribes filed this suit to protect IGRA’s established framework and the tribal operations conducted under it.”<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\nStitt also struck gaming compacts with Kialegee Tribal Town and Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, though those agreements did not authorize sports betting or house-banked table games.<\/p>\n
Federal Dilemma<\/b><\/h2>\n
In June, the DOI said the Comanche and Otoe-Missouri compacts had been “deemed approved.”<\/p>\n
“I am extremely grateful to learn that these new gaming compacts have been deemed approved by the federal government,” Stitt said at the time. But Oklahoma’s larger and powerful tribes, which are also responsible for the lion’s share of casino money the state takes in each year, argue their 15-year gaming compacts reached back in 2005 automatically renewed January 1, 2020.<\/p>\n
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The Oklahoma Supreme Court said in its ruling that only the legislature must enact laws to allow new forms of Class III gaming. The 7-1 majority also concluded that the Oklahoma Legislature must be included in negotiating new revenue-sharing terms.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\nThe DOI and Bureau of Indian Affairs have yet to respond to the tribes’ lawsuit asking the federal court to rule that the Interior Department violated federal laws by allowing the two compacts to be approved. Meanwhile, Otoe-Missouria Tribe Chairman John R. Shotton told Casino.org <\/i>federal legal decisions to supersede state rulings.<\/p>\n
“The Oklahoma Supreme Court doesn’t have jurisdiction to invalidate our compact when state and federal law dictates that our compact is legal,” the chairman opined.<\/p>\n
Stitt Attorneys Defend Compacts<\/b><\/h2>\n
As for Stitt’s new compacts with Kialegee Tribal Town and United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, the governor’s attorneys say<\/a> they should be deemed approved.<\/p>\n“[The gaming compacts] do not include sports betting or house-banked card and table games,” Stitt attorneys said in filings with the Oklahoma Supreme Court. “The governor is vested with the authority to enter compacts which do not conflict with the State Tribal Gaming Act and\/or state criminal laws.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Four tribes in Oklahoma have filed a lawsuit in DC asking federal officials to intervene in the gaming compact dispute in their home state. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt’s (R) mission to collect more tax revenue from tribal gaming operations has led to a divide among Native American groups. The first-term Republican has signed four new […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":144366,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[60,18456],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Oklahoma Tribes Seek Federal Input in Dismissing Compacts<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n