Oklahoma Rides High On New Tribal Casinos

A boost in Oklahoma's economy came from an unexpected source as tribal casinos provide the needed support to aid the state.

Businesses in the state welcomed the establishment of new tribal casinos as they also benefit from the influx of customers that the casino brings. Establishments in Lawson, in particular, were very enthusiastic of the new rise in activity in the city, as they report increased customer traffic.

Casino manager Darell Nott says that the new casinos have greatly increased job opportunity in the town as new openings were provided for by the new casinos. He also says that the money generated by the public spending on casinos have helped provide for the town.

He sums it up, “Everybody spends, everybody buys homes, they rent places, they buy cars and they spend that money on goods and services.”

On the other hand, according to hotel manager Kimberly Staser, accommodations for the hotel that she works in have increased since the the casinos opened. Most of the clients that go down their way are casino players and tourists who want to spend time in the casinos.

Staser goes to say that “The amount the average person spends during their stay is four times the amount they spend on their rooms.”

“It's great to have casinos,” she says. “Because the trend nowadays with the increase in prices and the instability of the airline industry is what we call stay in casinos, vacations that you can drive to.” She also added that the money being spent on rooms shows that the casino does have a bigger impact on the town.

To date, Oklahoma is home to more than forty casinos, majority of which are owned and operated by the various Indian tribes in the state. More casinos are expected to open as several proposals are yet pending with the state's gaming authorities.