Steve Bourie, author of the American Casino Guide, told the paper that competition does more to drive better casino payouts than state regulations. “Quite frankly, we felt, with as many tribal casinos as we had in Oklahoma, the market would force them into competitive payouts on their machines,” Meacham said. Oklahoma is home to 131 casinos that collectively offer more than 75,000 gaming machines. The tax rate for slots is four percent on annual revenue under 10. Requiring payout statistics was never considered in Oklahoma, former state Treasurer Scott Meacham, who negotiated Oklahoma’s compacts as an aide to former Gov. Oklahoma casinos pay 10 percent in taxes on table games. Casino revenues in Oklahoma could be leveling off, we reported earlier this month. Oklahoma’s casinos are all run by tribes, with rules established by gaming compacts.
A spokeswoman for the Cherokee Nation said the data was proprietary and wouldn’t be released. Oklahoma is among nine states without minimum payouts or any requirement that public reports be issued on casino payouts, reports the Tulsa World’s Wayne Greene.Ĭreek and Osage tribal officials did not respond to requests for payout data.
