In the ever-escalating battle between Oklahoma Tribal Gaming and the governor, things are getting chippy. Now Governor Kevin Stitt has threatened to bring in commercial casinos to undermine tribal casinos, and Tribal Gaming has now questions Stitt’s Native American ancestry.

Stitt remains engulfed in a bitter dispute with a dozen Oklahoma tribes regarding their compacts that allow them to operate Class III gaming – slot machines and table games. The Republican Governor argues their 15-year gaming compacts expired on January 1, while the Native Americans claim the revenue-sharing arrangements automatically renewed. Stitt is threatening to welcome in commercial casino operators if the tribes aren’t willing to increase the amount of casino win they share with the state.

Stitt is himself a member of the Cherokee Nation, one of the most powerful Native American groups in Oklahoma. His decision to go after more money from the tribes has been much criticized within Native American communities across the Sooner State.

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