National Indian Gaming Commission Approves United Keetoowah Gaming Code

Posted on: April 29, 2025, 09:46h. 

Last updated on: April 29, 2025, 10:30h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.
  • The United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians is seeking to reopen a tribal casino in Oklahoma
  • The tribe’s Keetoowah Cherokee Casino closed in 2013
  • Federal agencies have said the UKB has ancestral ties to Tahlequah 

The National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) has ratified the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians’ Gaming Code, a document that enacts laws and ordinances to govern the tribe’s gaming operations should the federal government place its Tahlequah land into trust.

National Indian Gaming Keetoowah Cherokee
The property where the Keetoowah Cherokee Casino in Oklahoma’s Tahlequah stood until it closed in 2013. The former casino was demolished soon after it shuttered. (Image: Shutterstock)

It’s been almost 12 years since the United Keetoowah Band (UKB) of Cherokee Indians shuttered its Keetoowah Cherokee Casino in Tahlequah after the powerful Cherokee Nation successfully sued the tribe and federal government on claims that the UKB had no legal right to the 2.03-acre site. The Keetoowah Cherokee Casino had operated since 1986 until the Cherokees alleged the land sits within their sovereign land — not the UKB’s.

The Cherokees and UKB both claim to be the primary ancestors of the Old Cherokee Nation, which occupied much of Oklahoma before it was disbanded and its land rights were extinguished in 1907 as Oklahoma was admitted to the union.

Before the Keetoowah Cherokee Casino closed, the Cherokees offered to place the casino property into the federal trust on its behalf and lease the small gaming facility to the UKB for 99 years. The Keetoowah refuted the offer on claims that it has the rightful ancestral ties to Tahlequah.

The US Department of the Interior (DOI) and its Bureau of Indian Affairs have since overseen years of legal claims regarding the two-acre controversy. The UKBs are set to emerge victorious almost a dozen years later. 

Gaming Law Adopted 

In January, the United Keetoowah secured a major legal victory when the DOI issued its opinion that the UKB is an equal successor to the Old Cherokee Nation with the Cherokee Nation. As a result, the UKB has the same legal privilege to have its lands taken into the federal trust.

Lands in the federal trust qualify for Class I and II gaming under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA). For Class III games like slot machines and live-dealer table games, states must enter into compacts with their host states. The UKB did so with Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) in 2020.

The United Keetoowah gained another critical federal endorsement on April 14 when the NIGC approved its Gaming Code.

The 2025 UKB Gaming Code reflects updates to the NIGC regulations, and other updates deemed necessary by the Tribe. The 2025 UKB Gaming Code is consistent with the requirements of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act and NIGC regulations and is hereby approved,” NIGC Acting Chair Sharon Avery wrote in a letter to the tribe.

With the Gaming Code approved, the UKB now only needs the DOI to execute its land-into-trust application.

Casino Details

If the Interior Department deems the two-acre site sovereign land owned by the UKB, the tribe says it will invest in a new casino on the property. The tribe’s economy is currently supported by its fully owned Keetoowah Construction, Inc.

The United Keetoowah’s Class III gaming compact requires it to direct the state between 12% to 15% of its gross revenue from slots, the rate dependent on annual revenue. The tribe must send Oklahoma City 18% of the gross gaming revenue generated from table games. Sports betting remains prohibited in Oklahoma.