OKLAHOMA CITY — With courthouses closing across Oklahoma due to the spread of COVID-19, a federal judge is allowing more time for gaming compact talks.
On Tuesday, Judge Timothy DeGuisti issued an order extending mediation between Gov. Kevin Stitt and a dozen Oklahoma gaming tribes through May 31. He originally set a deadline of March 31, with a status conference later scheduled for April 4.
After a pre-trial hearing on Feb. 10, Judge DeGuisti ordered Gov. Stitt and the tribes to pursue mediation in dueling lawsuits over the status of the model state-tribal gaming compact.
Under the terms of Judge DeGuisti’s order, neither Gov. Stitt nor any of the involved tribes are allowed to publicly discuss the mediation process without going through the court first.
At the time of the extension order, several of the involved tribes had already closed their casinos in an attempt to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus, including the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee (Creek) and the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the Comanche Nation, Citizen Potawatomi Nation, Delaware Nation, Otoe-Missouria Tribe, Quapaw Tribe and Seminole Nation have not closed their gaming facilities, but have taken additional preventative measures, such as adding more hand sanitizer machines around the gaming floor and closing buffet lines.
Construction remains underway for the lone casino for the 12th tribe involved, the White Eagle-based Ponca Tribe.
Although it is not party to the lawsuit, the Fort Sill Apache Tribe’s Lawton casino remains open as of Tuesday afternoon. However, the property’s April 2 America concert has been postponed.
The Kiowa Tribe is also not part of the ongoing litigation. As of Tuesday afternoon, its casinos in Devol, Carnegie and Verden were open as well.
“I am truly proud and happy about our team’s ongoing efforts to maintain a clean and safe environment,” Kiowa Casinos CEO Jon Peters wrote in a March 17 open letter. “As this continues to unfold, we will continue to provide information and do all we can to protect you and our team members.”