Budget & Tax

Tribal gaming revenue is in the billions

June 20, 2023

Curtis Shelton

In 2005 Oklahoma tribes began operating a monopoly on casino gaming in Oklahoma. Since then, revenue from casino gaming has grown nearly every year.

In 2022, Class III gaming generated $3.19 billion. The state received $191.5 million in fee revenue from the tribes.

Oklahoma only collects fees on Class III gaming, not Class II. Class III gaming is considered to be casino-style games like table and card games as well as slot machines. Class II is considered bingo games. It’s not just the classic card and marker bingo, however. Many casinos have installed Class II machines that closely resemble Class III slot machines.

The share of Class II machines has been growing faster than Class III machines since 2008. Because the state does not collect fees on Class II machines, there is no reported revenue from these machines. But with a near 50-50 split in the different types of machines, that revenue is likely in the billions of dollars.