Oklahoma has for a long time been synonymous with Bingo. That’s due to the fact that the Native bands of Oklahoma have provided Bingo sessions for generations. Patrons from each of the surrounding states pile in passenger cars and visit Oklahoma to wager on Bingo on the weekends.
The 1988 (IGRA) Indian Gaming Regulatory Act became law after a landmark decision by The U.S. Supreme Court just the year prior. From that instance, 23 of the 39 American Indian bands of Oklahoma have opened gambling halls. The Chickasaw were the initial Oklahoma Native band to take advantage of the gambling restrictions, and today run ten gambling halls of their own. Bingo is the game on which these gambling halls were built on. Electronic games like slots weren’t approved, because they are thought to contribute to gambling dependency at a higher rate than bingo.
In recent years, Oklahoma rules have changed to allow for enormous Indian gambling gambling halls. You will now discover Indian gambling dens with slot machines, video poker and chemin de fer tables. Craps and roulette are still not approved in the Indian gambling dens as of yet, although that is just a waiting game. Nobody can say what having other gambling hall games in the bingo parlors will do for the draw of bingo.