Oklahoma has long been analogous with Bingo. That is because the American Indian bands of Oklahoma have operated Bingo games for ages. Guests from many of the neighboring states pile in vehicles and visit Oklahoma to bet on Bingo over the weekends.
The 1988 (IGRA) Indian Gaming Regulatory Act was introduced after a benchmark ruling by The U.S. Supreme Court just the year before. From that time, 23 of the 39 Indian bands located in Oklahoma have opened gaming halls. The Chickasaw were the 1st Oklahoma Amerindian band to take advantage of the gambling restrictions, and today run 10 casinos of their own. Bingo is the game on which these gambling halls were founded. Electronic games like one armed bandits weren’t approved, since they’re believed to contribute to gambling problems more than bingo.
In recent years, Oklahoma governing edicts has changed to allow for big Indian wagering gambling dens. You will now see Indian casinos with slot machine games, video poker and chemin de fer tables. Craps and roulette are not yet authorized in the Indian gambling halls as of yet, but that is only a waiting game. No one can say with whether having other games in the bingo houses will do for the popularity of bingo.