Tribal Casino Gambling Revenue Rising In Oklahoma

Do not add Oklahoma to the growing list of states that have a casino gambling industry being ravaged by the recession. In fact, Oklahoma may be the eny of other states after they revealed that their tribal casino gambling revenue grew by almost $20 million in the 2009 fiscal year.

While most states have seen their casino gambling revenue decline month after month since the recession has started, Oklahoma tribal casinos have actually thrived. It is a phenomenon that one state official believes is no coincidence.

"It used to be kind of trailer house and metal building facilities," said Oklahoma State Treasurer Scott Meacham, "Now it's these huge, multimillion dollar Las Vegas-quality casinos."

For the fiscal year of 2009, Oklahoma tribal casinos gave $109 million in state revenue. That is a tremendous increase over the $81.4 million in 2008. The figures are expected to increase for 2010 as the nation begins to come out of a recession that has devastated most casino destinations.

The casino industry in Las Vegas and Atlantic City were both considered to be immune to the economic challenges of the rest of the country. This time around, however, the economy has destroyed revenue figures in both cities. Atlantic City has seen double digit revenue decreases for many months in a row.

It was not all good news for gambling in Oklahoma. The lottery has taken a hit financially and many lawmakers believe that is a direct to the revenue increase at the tribal casinos.

With economic conditions tough, people are having to choose where they spend what little extra money they have. In Oklahoma, residents have clearly chosen to spend that money at the casinos.

September 22, 2009
Posted By Terry Goodwin
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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