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It’s not how Cherokee Principal Chief Hoskin Jr. envisioned things being days before January 1, 2020.

Hoskin spoke to KWON AM 1400 and FM 93.3 exclusively Friday, December 27, about the impasse between all the Oklahoma tribes and Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt regarding the dispute over whether the 15-year gaming compact between them should renew or expire.

According to Chief Hoskin, ”We’ve had that compact for 15 years—it’s been a win-win. The proposition right now—the only person I can tell that thinks it expired or expires, rather, at the end of the year is the Governor of Oklahoma.” He adds, “All of the tribal leaders are behind the idea that it is renewed.”

From Governor Stitt’s website:

Governor Kevin Stitt on December 19, 2019, issued to all tribes with a gaming compact the State’s offer to extend current tribal gaming compacts by eight months:

“The State of Oklahoma is offering an extension to all current gaming compacts between tribes and the State in order to allow us the necessary time to negotiate,” said Gov. Stitt in a letter to tribes. “An extension will also alleviate any questions or concerns that lenders, employees, entertainers, vendors, and patrons have concerning whether the Class III gaming activities at the casinos are legal as of January 1, 2020.” 

A full copy of the letter can be found here.

That document extends the gaming compacts’ Jan. 1, 2020 date, referenced in Part 15B, to August 31, 2020. The extension makes no further amendments to Part 15B and includes clear language that allows both parties to maintain their legal positions, stating, “Whereas, the Tribe and the State desire to preserve their respective legal arguments regarding that disagreement.”  

A full copy of the extension can be found here.

Hoskin goes into the history of the compact with former Governor Brad Henry saying,”The reason it renews it there are certain conditions that needed to be met--the state and the tribes wanted to see met at the end of 15 years. One of them is the continuation of para-mutual horse racing, but it doesn’t mean we can’t talk about rates. What is what we don’t want to happen…the reason we are so united is that if compact really terminated the last day of December, it would disrupt and industry that has provided so many jobs for Oklahomans…so much revenue for all 4 million Oklahomans through fees we send to the state and the investments we make in our communities, will be such a disruption to the economy.”

We have extended invitations to the Governor for comments and are still awaiting a response.