GAMING AMERICA | OIGA
OKLAHOMA TRIBES TAKE A STAND Gaming America sits down with Matthew Morgan, Chairman of the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association, to talk about the standoff between the state governor and tribes over their gaming compact; as well as the future of an industry that is being upended by change. Could you give our readers a brief history of the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association (OIGA), how it fits into the state’s gaming ecosystem, and some of your successes over the years? The OIGA has been around since 1988. We followed after the federal law was established: the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA). We consist of members of tribal governments here in Oklahoma and also business partners in the industry that participate in Oklahoma gaming. We serve mainly three purposes: first, we attempt to educate our members, and those working in the policy side of gaming, about what our needs, wants, desires and concerns are. Secondly, we facilitate conversation from our membership to those groups, to make sure there is robust communication that is always going to assist them in whatever their economic concerns or endeavors are around gaming. Thirdly, if there is unanimity around certain issues, we carry that message forward as well, so that it’s not left up to our individual members. We’ve been involved since day one of gaming in Oklahoma, moving from paper bingo up to electronic Class II gaming (as determined under the IGRA). In 2004, we were heavily involved in the discussion to get a gaming compact with the state of Oklahoma. Then, in the past couple of years, we have been the focal point of our members in dealing with a dispute of gaming with the state of Oklahoma 36 | GAMINGAMERICA
"THE WAY THE AGREEMENT WORKS IS THAT NEW FORMS OF GAMING ARE BROUGHT AS AN AMENDMENT TO STATE LAW."
we have an environment that will allow them to pursue those; whether that’s forms of gaming or amenities like hotels. I think the all-of the-above strategy is something that tribes must look at. But again, we have 39 tribes, 35 of which participate in gaming, and this is in a state with four million residents. There’s a lot of competition; there are a lot of unique pockets of marketing and operations happening within those jurisdictions. I think, while they compete on a day-to-day basis for those customers, they all understand that having a robust gaming environment here is better for everyone.
What is the OIGA’s stance on the rise of commercial operators and the waves of legalizations that have been going on across the country for the last several years?
What if legalization were to come to immediately neighboring states. I’m thinking especially of Texas because it’s such a big market. Is that seen as an existential threat for the industry in Oklahoma?
We are always watching whatever’s happening in the gaming industry, whether that’s commercial or tribal. Being a form of entertainment, a lot of our members are acutely aware of regional entertainment options that may present opportunities to partner with or, in terms of commercial gaming, may impact their gains. We know consumers are willing to travel to partake in whatever forms of gaming they choose. It’s always important that we work with our stakeholders in the state of Oklahoma to try to make sure whatever our customers might want,
First, I think it depends on what gaming you’re talking about. Secondly, it’s not a threat to the entire industry. You would have to look at what the customer base gets from those tribes which operate along the Oklahoma southern border. Of course, we’d look at that more in depth and decide whether there is an opportunity there, or a threat to what is being done in tribal jurisdictions. We have a handful of tribes here in Oklahoma that participate in the marketplace across the globe in gaming efforts. They have been known to go
and its governor, regarding some of those compact renewal terms. In a nutshell, that’s what we do.
