Oklahoma has long been synonymous with Bingo. This is owing to the fact that the Native bands of Oklahoma have operated Bingo games for decades. Clients from many of the neighboring states load up in trucks and travel into Oklahoma to wager on Bingo over the weekends.
The 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act followed a benchmark decision by The U.S. Supreme Court the year before. Since that instance, 23 of the 39 American Indian tribes of Oklahoma have opened gambling halls. The Chickasaw were the first Oklahoma Native tribes to take advantage of the wagering rules, and today control ten casinos of their own. Bingo was the game on which these gambling halls were founded. Electronic games such as one armed bandits weren’t permitted, because they’re thought to contribute to gambling problems at a higher rate than bingo.
In the past few years, Oklahoma law has altered to permit big Amerindian gaming casinos. You’ll now find Native gambling dens with one armed bandits, video poker and chemin de fer tables. Craps and roulette are still not authorized in the Native casinos as of yet, although this is only a waiting game. No one can determine whether having different gambling den games in the bingo parlours will do for the popularity of bingo.