04.07
Bingo in Oklahoma
Oklahoma has long been synonymous with Bingo. This is owing to the fact that the Indian tribes of Oklahoma have provided Bingo games for ages. Patrons from each of the neighboring states load up in autos and travel to Oklahoma to wager on Bingo over the weekends.
The 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) became law after a landmark decree by The U.S. Supreme Court the year before. Since that instance, twenty three of the thirty nine Indian tribes located in Oklahoma have established bingo halls. The Chickasaw were the first Oklahoma Amerindian tribes to take advantage of the wagering laws, and today control ten casinos of their own. Bingo is the game on which these gambling dens were built on. computerized games like slot machines were not permitted, because they are believed to contribute to gambling dependency at a higher rate than bingo.
In the past few years, Oklahoma law has altered to allow for large Amerindian betting gambling dens. You will now discover Indian casinos with slot machine games, video poker and 21 tables. Craps and roulette are still not allowed in the Amerindian casinos as of yet, but that is only a matter of time. Nobody can say what having other gambling hall games in the bingo parlours will do for the appeal of bingo.