- Details
- By Native News Online Staff
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association (OIGA) said on Monday that all of its tribal members have closed their casinos temporarily in an effort to stem the spread of COVID-19 (novel coronavirus).
“Nothing is of greater importance to the tribes than the health and well-being of the citizens of their Nations and the citizens of Oklahoma,” OIGA Chairman Matthew L. Morgan said in a statement. “We always want to be good neighbors and to lead by positive example. In making the decision to temporarily suspend our gaming operations, we are hopeful that we will have a positive impact on the health of Oklahomans.”
At the end of FY 2018, 31 tribes were operating 131 facilities in Oklahoma, offering Class III gaming related to the state-tribal gaming compacts. Collectively, the Oklahoma tribal casinos generate nearly $4.4 billion annually, according to the most recent Casino City’s Indian Gaming Industry Report.
The OIGA says each tribe is a unique, independent sovereign nation, and all stand united under the common purpose of preserving public health.
Each sovereign Tribal Nation in Oklahoma has drafted its own COVID-19 response plans and protocols. The plans are available at https://oiga.org/news/covid-19/.
More Stories Like This
Oklahoma Legislature Overrides Governor Stitt’s Veto of Native Regalia BillNative Bidaské with Lummi Nation Chairman Anthony Hillaire on the Opioid Crisis
Tohono O’odham Citizen Shot and Killed by U.S. Border Patrol; FBI Investigating
Louisiana Loses a Visionary Native American Leader as Ernest Sickey Walks On at 80
First Lady Jill Biden Highlights Broadband Expansion to Alaska’s Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta
Native News is free to read.
We hope you enjoyed the story you've just read. For the past dozen years, we’ve covered the most important news stories that are usually overlooked by other media. From the protests at Standing Rock and the rise of the American Indian Movement (AIM), to the ongoing epidemic of Murdered and Missing Indigenous People (MMIP) and the past-due reckoning related to assimilation, cultural genocide and Indian Boarding Schools.
Our news is free for everyone to read, but it is not free to produce. That’s why we’re asking you to make a donation to help support our efforts. Any contribution — big or small — helps. Most readers donate between $10 and $25 to help us cover the costs of salaries, travel and maintaining our digital platforms. If you’re in a position to do so, we ask you to consider making a recurring donation of $12 per month to join the Founder's Circle. All donations help us remain a force for change in Indian Country and tell the stories that are so often ignored, erased or overlooked.
Donate to Native News Online today and support independent Indigenous journalism. Thank you.
