Cherokee Nation Expands Casino Operations In Oklahoma, Arkansas

The Cherokee Nation is expanding its casino footprint, applying to build its 10th casino in Oklahoma near Bartlesville and another northwest of Little Rock, Arkansas.

The gaming industry is competitive in Oklahoma, with 33 tribes using their gaming licenses. But industry advocates say there's still room for more.

Oklahoma's Growing Casino Market

There are more than 130 casinos in Oklahoma, and more could be coming, according to Matt Morgan with the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association.

"There's going to be competition, we understand that," said Matthew Morgan, Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association chairman. "I think each individual tribe and a lot of times each individual property have to market that and operate in a way that makes sense for that unique location, and that's what we see in a lot of these different places."

New Casino Near Bartlesville

The Cherokee Nation Businesses agrees, especially on its reservation. It applied to place 14.993 acres of Cherokee-owned land on U.S. Highway 75 south of Bartlesville city limits in trust for gaming fee-to-trust acquisition purposes in June, meaning it could build a casino there in the future. It would only be a few miles from the Osage Casino, which opened less than a year ago.

"It's a good location; it has access to good roads and good transportation options, as well as there are a lot of residents," said Chuck Garrett, Cherokee Nation Businesses CEO. "So, we think that the Bartlesville area in general has the capacity to have demand for that facility as well."

Potential for Legal Sports Betting

Legalizing sports betting is something Garrett says Cherokee Nation Businesses is ready to add to all its casinos, but he says they can't do that until state lawmakers are ready to have a conversation about it.

"Clearly, the state of Oklahoma, the legislature, the Governor has to be engaged in that as well, and so we'll be there willing to engage at the right time and hopefully be able to offer that to our customers," said Garrett.

Expansion into Arkansas and Mississippi

In the meantime, the Cherokee Nation is expanding to build a casino in Arkansas and is already operating in Mississippi.

"What we are seeing is revenues that could be going to the state are going to other states, and so I think that ultimately just makes sense for the state of Oklahoma and the tribes to come together and move forward with sports betting," said Garrett.

Other Tribes Preparing for Expansion

Other tribes, like the Muscogee Nation, are also prepping to build out facilities, such as the Gridiron Sports Bar at River Spirit in Tulsa.

The OIGA wants to see a plan when lawmakers return next year.

"I think that's what we'd ask from our state partners is, you know, let's look at sports betting, let's look at how we define it. What everyone is comfortable with operating? And then what makes economic sense in terms of fee sharing, and I don't think that's a long conversation," said Morgan.

The new legislative session kicks off on February 3 at the state capitol.