On Monday, a report was issued by the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) which showed that growth has taken place within the Indian gaming industry in both Oklahoma and Texas. In particular, the Oklahoma City region has been so successful, they have outpaced every other region in the United States as far as revenues are concerned.
According to the report, the region of Oklahoma City saw an increase in gaming revenues by 5.7%. This was from the fiscal year that ended in 2016. This is quite a bit higher than the national growth rate which came in at 4.4%. On a national level, the tribes in the United States were able to generate gross gaming revenues $31.2 billion in the last fiscal year.
For the Oklahoma City region, gross gaming revenues came in at $2,141,567,000 for the fiscal year of 2015. Even more was earned for the fiscal year of 2016 with $2,264,665,000 in earnings. Western Oklahoma and Texas are included in this region.
According to the report, 484 independently audited financial statements were the basis of the gaming revenue calculations which dealt with 244 federally recognized tribes operating gaming facilities in 29 states.
National Indian Gaming Commission Chairman Jonodev O. Chaudhuri commented on the findings, stating that the stable growth shows a healthy and well-regulated industry that has a tremendous impact on the local economy as well as state economies.