Oklahoma has for a long time been interrelated with Bingo. That’s because the Native bands of Oklahoma have run Bingo sessions for years. Guests from many of the nearby states pile in vehicles and visit Oklahoma to play Bingo on the weekends.
The 1988 (IGRA) Indian Gaming Regulatory Act was introduced after a landmark ruling by The U.S. Supreme Court just the prior year. Since that time, twenty three of the thirty nine Indian bands located in Oklahoma have introduced gaming halls. The Chickasaw were the first Oklahoma Amerindian band to take advantage of the wagering laws, and today control 10 gambling dens of their very own. Bingo was the game on which the above-mentioned gambling halls were built on. Electronic games like slots were not allowed, owing to the fact that they are thought to lead to gambling problems more than bingo.
In recent years, Oklahoma law has changed to permit gigantic American Indian gaming casinos. You’ll now see American Indian gambling halls with slot machine games, video poker and black jack tables. Craps and roulette are still not authorized in the American Indian gambling dens as of yet, although that is just a waiting game. No one can determine whether having other games in the bingo houses will do for the popularity of bingo.