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Did Too Many Casinos Cause Dip In Gaming Fees?

Moyen Brenn
/
Flickr.com

A new report shows the state of Oklahoma collected $122 million in gaming fees from Native American tribes during the last fiscal year.

The report issued Wednesday by the Office of Management and Enterprise Services shows that for the first time ever, the fees paid to the state declined from the previous year.

The report noted a drop of nearly $5.5 million — or about 4 percent — from previous year's collections. The funds are used primarily for public education.

Possible reasons cited for the decline include an increase in the number of Class Two games like electronic bingo for which tribes do not pay exclusivity fees and "possible market saturation."

The annual report was prepared by the state agency's Gaming Compliance Unit.

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