Indian tribes with gambling operations in Oklahoma paid $118 million in taxes and fees to the state in 2010, up from $105 million generated in 2009 and $14.2 million in 2006.
The Indian Gaming Industry Report said 31 Oklahoma tribes involved in the gaming industry had $3.1 billion in gambling revenue and $442 million in non-gambling revenue at their facilities last year.
“The growth in Oklahoma was largely the result of expansions and replacements of existing gaming operations,” economist Alan Meister of Nathan Associates Inc. said in the report.
Oklahoma voters approved the Indian gambling compacts in 2004. There are 111 gambling facilities in the state, with California a distant second with 66 such facilities.
“Oklahoma’s rise within the ranks of Indian gaming states has been attributable to the tribes’ ability to grow the local market and increase the draw from nearby states that have limited gaming options,” Meister said.
