{"id":916,"date":"2025-05-12T19:34:44","date_gmt":"2025-05-12T19:34:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/?p=916"},"modified":"2025-09-22T12:10:33","modified_gmt":"2025-09-22T12:10:33","slug":"ukb-signs-oklahoma-gaming-compact-eyes-return-to-tribal-casino-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/12\/ukb-signs-oklahoma-gaming-compact-eyes-return-to-tribal-casino-market\/","title":{"rendered":"UKB Signs Oklahoma Gaming Compact, Eyes Return to Tribal Casino Market"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul>\n<li><strong>UKB signs Model Tribal Gaming Compact with Oklahoma state<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>UKB\u2019s previous casino operation was shut down in 2013 due to legal issues<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Cherokee Nation not happy<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Twelve years after the Keetoowah Cherokee Casino in Tahlequah, Okla., was shuttered over legal concerns, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/oklahoma-tribes-oppose-intervention-in-casino-compact-spat\/\">United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians<\/a> (UKB) is poised to reenter the gaming industry.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_352046\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-352046\" data-style=\"width: 1192px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-352046\" src=\"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Cherokee-858x468-1.jpg\" alt=\"United Keetoowah Band, Keetoowah Casino, Cherokee Nation dispute, Oklahoma tribal gaming, Class III gaming\" width=\"1192\" height=\"650\" \/><figcaption>Signage from the old Keetoowah Cherokee Casino in Tahlequah, Okla., which closed in 2013. The tribe plans to forge ahead with a new casino if the compact is signed off by the federal government. (Image: <em>KOSU<\/em>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The tribe confirmed late last week that it signed a Model Tribal Gaming Compact with the state of Oklahoma on April 29, shortly after it <a href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/national-indian-gaming-commission-approves-united-keetoowah-tribal-gaming-code\/\">received federal approval<\/a> of its updated UKB Gaming Code from the National Indian Gaming Commission.<\/p>\n<p>The compact, which is pending final approval from the US Department of the Interior (DOI), would authorize the UKB to operate Class III gaming on its trust land, marking the end of a longstanding jurisdictional dispute with the Cherokee Nation, Oklahoma\u2019s largest tribal government.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Cherokee Spat<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Though both tribes trace their lineage to the historic Cherokee people and are headquartered in Tahlequah, they have often clashed over territorial sovereignty. The Cherokee Nation has long argued it holds exclusive jurisdiction over Cherokee lands in the state, a position it used to challenge the UKB&#8217;s casino operation.<\/p>\n<p>The Cherokee Nation currently owns 10 casinos across northeastern Oklahoma.<\/p>\n<p>The UKB opened its casino in 1986, despite lacking trust land, and operated it for years offering Class II gaming.<\/p>\n<div class=\"callout\">\n<p>In 2013, following a lawsuit by the Cherokee Nation and pressure from state and federal regulators, the casino was shut down. Central to the dispute was the UKB\u2019s lack of federally designated trust land, a legal requirement for tribal gaming under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Things began to move for the UKB in 2011 when the DOI agreed to take a 76-acre parcel of land into trust for the tribe. The Cherokee Nation sued to block the move, but the decision was ultimately upheld in 2019 by the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.<\/p>\n<p>Momentum shifted decisively in January 2025, when the DOI issued a legal opinion affirming that the UKB \u2013 like the Cherokee Nation \u2013 is a legitimate successor to the historic Cherokee Nation. That recognition bolstered the UKB\u2019s sovereign status and cleared a path for gaming development.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>\u2018Years of Determination\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>\u201cThis agreement reflects years of determination and is a significant turning point for the Keetoowah people,\u201d said UKB Chief Jeff Wacoche. \u201cGaming is not just about business \u2013 it&#8217;s about restoring self-determination, creating jobs, and building prosperity for our Tribal Members. We are laying the legal and economic foundation for our future.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The tribe said it was now \u201cactively engaged in development planning\u201d and would move forward \u201cresponsibly and transparently.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Nation Doubles Down<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Despite the DOI opinion, the Cherokee Nation is doubling down on its assertion of sovereignty over the lands.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"main-blockquote\">\n<p>The United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians does not have jurisdiction over the Cherokee Nation Reservation,\u201d Cherokee Nation Attorney General Chad Harsha told Tulsa NBC affiliate <em>KTUL<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cThe UKB has previously attempted to operate an illegal gaming operation, which was shut down since it did not comply with federal law. The UKB\u2019s effort to amend their old gaming laws does not confer any authority within the Cherokee Nation Reservation for gaming operations or otherwise,&#8221; he added.<\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/ukb-signs-oklahoma-gaming-compact-eyes-return-to-tribal-casino-market\/\">UKB Signs Oklahoma Gaming Compact, Eyes Return to Tribal Casino Market<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\">Casino.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>UKB signs Model Tribal Gaming Compact with Oklahoma state UKB\u2019s previous casino operation was shut down in 2013 due to legal issues Cherokee Nation not happy Twelve years after the Keetoowah Cherokee Casino in Tahlequah, Okla., was shuttered over legal concerns, the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians (UKB) is poised to reenter the gaming industry. Signage from the old [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":918,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/916"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=916"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/916\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":919,"href":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/916\/revisions\/919"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/918"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}