Post by Logan on Dec 22, 2019 22:46:32 GMT -6
‘Long haul:’ Tribes present unified front in response to gaming compact battle
As more than 50 tribal representatives took the stage on Thursday afternoon inside Tulsa’s River Spirit Casino it was clear that if Gov. Kevin Stitt wants the state’s tribes to renegotiate a gaming compact that has dominated headlines recently, he has some convincing to do.
The graphic on the speaker’s podium said “Oklahoma United” and tribal leaders, along with Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association chairman Matt Morgan, said they were determined to present a united front to combat Stitt’s belief that the state’s gaming compact would expire on Jan. 1.
The tribes have maintained that the triggers have been hit that would automatically renew the gaming compact for another 15 years under the current agreement, which pays the state between 4 percent and 10 percent of casino-style gaming revenue.
Stitt this week offered the tribes an eight-month extension to the compact, a move that would allow more time for the two sides to come to an agreement but would also seem to require the tribes to agree that the compact will not automatically renew. The offer came days after Stitt said the tribes would be operating casinos illegally on Jan. 1, 2020, if new compact terms were not agreed upon.
Read more: www.readfrontier.org/stories/tribes-present-a-unified-front-in-response-to-gaming-compact-battle/
As more than 50 tribal representatives took the stage on Thursday afternoon inside Tulsa’s River Spirit Casino it was clear that if Gov. Kevin Stitt wants the state’s tribes to renegotiate a gaming compact that has dominated headlines recently, he has some convincing to do.
The graphic on the speaker’s podium said “Oklahoma United” and tribal leaders, along with Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association chairman Matt Morgan, said they were determined to present a united front to combat Stitt’s belief that the state’s gaming compact would expire on Jan. 1.
The tribes have maintained that the triggers have been hit that would automatically renew the gaming compact for another 15 years under the current agreement, which pays the state between 4 percent and 10 percent of casino-style gaming revenue.
Stitt this week offered the tribes an eight-month extension to the compact, a move that would allow more time for the two sides to come to an agreement but would also seem to require the tribes to agree that the compact will not automatically renew. The offer came days after Stitt said the tribes would be operating casinos illegally on Jan. 1, 2020, if new compact terms were not agreed upon.
Read more: www.readfrontier.org/stories/tribes-present-a-unified-front-in-response-to-gaming-compact-battle/