Governor Kevin Stitt today issued to all tribes with a gaming compact the State’s offer to extend current tribal gaming compacts by eight months.
“The State of Oklahoma is offering an extension to all current gaming compacts between tribes and the State in order to allow us the necessary time to negotiate,” said Gov. Stitt in a letter to tribes. “An extension will also alleviate any questions or concerns that lenders, employees, entertainers, vendors, and patrons have concerning whether the Class III gaming activities at the casinos are legal as of January 1, 2020.”
A full copy of the letter can be found here.
The document extends the gaming compacts’ Jan. 1, 2020 date, referenced in Part 15B, to August 31, 2020. The extension makes no further amendments to Part 15B and includes clear language that allows both parties to maintain their legal positions, stating, “Whereas, the Tribe and the State desire to preserve their respective legal arguments regarding that disagreement.”
A full copy of the extension can be found here.
Once signed, the governor’s office expects a quick and seamless filing with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and publication in the Federal Register.
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