The slot machines are staying quiet a little longer.
As of April 2, all tribal casinos across Oklahoma remain closed in an effort to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Both the Fort Sill Apache Tribe’s casino in Lawton and the Kiowa Tribe’s three properties had originally indicated plans to resume operations at the end of March. Both tribes are now tentatively eyeing April 15 as their new re-opening date.
Additionally, the annual meeting of the Kiowa Indian Council, originally scheduled for Saturday in Carnegie, has been postponed indefinitely.
Three area tribes announced their extended closures on Monday. Among them was the Comanche Nation, whose business committee voted to review its emergency declaration on a week to week basis until further notice. Along with limiting the tribe’s government to essential services only, that declaration includes the full closure of Comanche Nation Gaming.
The Apache Tribe of Oklahoma also announced on Monday that it was extending its casino’s closure indefinitely. The tribe operates the Golden Eagle Casino in Apache.
The Delaware Nation, headquartered in Anadarko, was also among the Monday closure announcements. It will keep its government offices and casinos shuttered through April 15.
On Tuesday, the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes announced it was extending the closure of not only its Sugar Creek Casino near Hinton, but also its government offices and child development centers through April 30. Employees of the Anadarko-based tribe will be paid through the end of April. The tribe is offering one-time emergency assistance checks to enrolled tribal citizens. Checks are being mailed rather than made available for pick-up as originally planned and applications for assistance must be received by April 30.
“We don’t know what the future holds for our casinos or the tribe, but we want to make sure as we ride this COVID-19 outbreak out that we are able to provide our Wichita people with some relief to help with food,” President Terri Parton wrote in an open letter to the tribe’s citizens.