Oklahoma's top legal representative asserts the United Keetoowah Band's gaming agreement as invalid.
The United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians (UKB) is currently in a legal quandary regarding their Class III gaming compact with the state of Oklahoma. The compact, signed in April 2025, is under scrutiny due to its signing after the agreed deadline, a point contested by Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond.
According to Drummond, the compact's legal effect is voided by its late signing, making it invalid. This declaration has put the compact on hold, pending further approvals and legal challenges.
The Model Tribal Gaming Compact, a revenue-sharing and regulatory agreement between the state and federally recognized tribes wishing to operate slot machines and live-dealer table games on their sovereign reservations, was in effect until January 1, 2020. Thirty-five tribes had executed this compact before the deadline, and their compacts automatically renewed for successive 15-year terms. However, the UKB did not seek approval of its gaming compact by the Joint Committee on State-Tribal Relations, a requirement for compacts negotiated after 2020.
The UKB has temporarily withdrawn their gaming compact with the National Indian Gaming Commission as they are not currently conducting gaming activities. They are facing political and legal opposition, including legislation proposed by Senator Markwayne Mullin, a Cherokee Nation citizen, who supports giving the Cherokee Nation exclusive authority over gaming and reservation land.
The UKB strongly opposes these legislative efforts, describing them as attempts to restrict their sovereignty and tribal rights. UKB leadership characterizes the actions as a form of tribal termination or betrayal.
In a recent development, Chuck Hoskin Jr., chief of the Cherokee Nation, refuted UKB Chief Jeff Wacoche's assertions, stating that the Cherokee Nation has sovereign authority and exclusive tribal jurisdiction over its reservation in Oklahoma.
The UKB did not execute the Model Tribal Gaming Compact before 2020 due to their federal status being in legal limbo. In January 2025, the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs ruled that the United Keetoowah are an equal successor to the Old Cherokee Nation as the Cherokee Nation.
The Model Tribal Gaming Compact was authorized by state voters through a 2024 referendum and made available to all federally recognized tribes in Oklahoma to engage in Class III gaming. The UKB operated a Class II bingo hall called the Keetoowah Cherokee Casino in Tahlequah from 1986 until it was challenged by the Cherokee Nation. The Cherokee Nation successfully challenged the UKB's right to operate the casino on the grounds that it was not on federally designated trust land.
In light of these developments, the UKB's plans to resume gaming operations are uncertain. The legal status of their Class III gaming compact remains in question, with the compact currently invalid due to not being approved by the Joint Committee on State-Tribal Relations.
- The United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians (UKB) is embroiled in a legal conflict over their Class III gaming compact with Oklahoma.
- Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond contests the compact's validity due to its late signing, beyond the agreed deadline.
- Thirty-five tribes had previously executed the Model Tribal Gaming Compact before the deadline, ensuring its automatic renewal for 15-year terms.
- UKB did not seek approval of their gaming compact by the Joint Committee on State-Tribal Relations, a requirement for compacts negotiated after 2020.
- UKB temporarily withdrew their gaming compact with the National Indian Gaming Commission, as they are not currently engaging in gaming activities.
- Political and legal opposition to the UKB includes legislation proposed by Senator Markwayne Mullin, aiming to give the Cherokee Nation exclusive authority over gaming and reservation land.
- UKB leadership views this legislation as an attempt to restrict their sovereignty and tribal rights, likening it to tribal termination or betrayal.
- The Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs determined the United Keetoowah to be an equal successor to the Old Cherokee Nation as the Cherokee Nation in January 2025.
- The UKB's future gaming operations remain uncertain due to the questionable legal status of their Class III gaming compact and the delayed approval by the Joint Committee on State-Tribal Relations.
