The National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) has approved the Gaming Code of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, a document that establishes regulations and ordinances to oversee the tribe’s gaming activities if the federal government puts its Tahlequah land into trust.
Nearly 12 years have passed since the United Keetoowah Band (UKB) of Cherokee Indians closed its Keetoowah Cherokee Casino in Tahlequah following a successful lawsuit by the influential Cherokee Nation against the tribe and federal government, asserting that the UKB held no legal claim to the 2.03-acre property. The Keetoowah Cherokee Casino had been in operation since 1986 until the Cherokee claimed that the land lies within their sovereign territory — rather than the UKB’s.
Both the Cherokees and UKB assert that they are the main descendants of the Old Cherokee Nation, which inhabited a large portion of Oklahoma prior to its disintegration and the termination of its land rights in 1907 when Oklahoma joined the union.
Prior to the closure of the Keetoowah Cherokee Casino, the Cherokees proposed to put the casino property into federal trust for its benefit and lease the minor gaming establishment to the UKB for a period of 99 years. The Keetoowah rejected the proposal, asserting their legitimate ancestral connections to Tahlequah.
The US Department of the Interior (DOI) and its Bureau of Indian Affairs have managed years of legal disputes concerning the two-acre issue. The UKBs are poised to triumph nearly twelve years later.
Gaming Legislation Approved
In January, the United Keetoowah achieved a significant legal triumph when the DOI declared its view that the UKB is a co-equal successor to the Old Cherokee Nation alongside the Cherokee Nation. Consequently, the UKB holds the same legal entitlement to have its lands placed into federal trust.
Lands held in federal trust are eligible for Class I and II gaming per the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA). For Class III games such as slot machines and live-dealer table games, states are required to form compacts with their host states. The UKB accomplished this with Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt (R) in 2020.
On April 14, the United Keetoowah received an important federal endorsement as 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.
Now that the Gaming Code has been approved, the UKB only requires the DOI to proceed with its land-into-trust application.
Casino Information
Should the Interior Department classify the two-acre site as sovereign land belonging to the UKB, the tribe plans to invest in a new casino there. The tribe’s economy is presently backed by its wholly owned Keetoowah Construction, Inc.
The United Keetoowah’s Class III gaming agreement mandates it to allocate 12% to 15% of its total revenue from slot machines to the state, with the percentage varying based on yearly earnings. The tribe is required to send 18% of the total gaming revenue from table games to Oklahoma City. Gambling on sports is still not allowed in Oklahoma.
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