Allowing tribes to incorporate dice and marbles to their floors has little support in the capital, nor from the casinos. Tribes seem content with offering electronic and automated craps and roulette.<\/p>\n
\n“It’s unfortunate that Cherokee Nation and other tribes were not consulted on the proposal,” said Chuck Hoskin, secretary of state for the Cherokee Nation, the largest Native American population in Oklahoma. “We’ve reached out to his (Wallace) office to learn more.”<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\nBill Lacks Support<\/b><\/h2>\n
Though Wallace is a Republican, his state House and Senate constituents, which strongly control the legislature, aren’t willing to expand gambling to cover losses from another so-called “sin industry.”<\/p>\n
“For me, personally, it’s a moral objection,” Senate President Pro Tempore Mike Schulz (R) stated. Schulz believes the legislature should focus on finding a new way to tax cigarette sales.<\/p>\n
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The previous attempt was overturned by the state’s high court because lawmakers passed the $1.50 surcharge as a fee, which required only a simple majority. State law, however, requires tax increases to be approved by a super majority (3\/4 support), and the Oklahoma Supreme Court deemed the cigarette fee a tax.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The original cigarette bill failed to achieve a supermajority by a vote of 63-34. Schulz believes now faced with a mounting deficit, opposing lawmakers might be more willing to lend their support.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
An Oklahoma gambling expansion plan that could cover a substantial budget shortfall isn’t gaining much traction in the Oklahoma City capital. The state legislature is scheduled to return for a special session on September 25, and when it does, lawmakers will be faced with deciding the best method to fix a deficit that came as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":58553,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[62,10,13,61],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Oklahoma Gambling Expansion Odds Seem Minimal, State Needs Funds<\/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