Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt‘s proposal to levy higher exclusivity fees on the Sooner State’s 134 tribal casinos continues to go over like a lead balloon. The guv finds himself in receipt of a letter from all of the state’s gaming-enabled tribes, essentially saying that Stitt’s initiative is spinach and to hell with it. 
Stitt, for his part, is playing chicken with the tribes, threatening to shut all their casinos on Jan. 1 if they don’t dance to his tune. “We believe Gov. Stitt has been misinformed about how these compacts work. We believe this is a correct fee structure. Either it’s the same deal, or he wants to offer a better deal to the tribes,” Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association Chairman Matt Morgan said. He counterproposed adding new revenue streams like Class III table games and sports betting. Furthermore, he stated that an “evergreen” clause in the compact had already turned over, giving the tribes 15 more years of exclusivity.
In our view, Stitt is confusing apples with oranges when he calls for double-digit exclusivity fees, perhaps in excess of 20 percent. He’s confusing states with limited competition to the wide-open Oklahoma industry, where there’s so much competition that profit margins will be narrow. We hope that the tribes can educate him to a more enlightened stance.
* Atlantic City‘s Casino Reinvestment Development Authority will have a few million to spend at its discretion this year, now that it is no longer subsidizing the Miss America pageant. As for the latter, it has shaken the dirt of the Boardwalk from its pumps and set up business at Mohegan Sun, trading one casino town for another.
* Phil Ruffin has augmented Treasure Island‘s marketing power. He’s inked a deal incorporating the resort into Radission Hotel Group. It’s also a big win for Radisson—its first hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. Radisson prexy Kevin Greene dubbed the pirate place “one we’ve been keen to offer to our loyal guests for quite some time.” Since Radisson is now allied with a trophy property and Ruffin has hooked up a new spigot of guests, we’re going to call this nothing but win.
* MGM Resorts International is undergoing a teachable moment after the six-pointed stars (on yellow jerseys) on its security uniforms caused some umbrage. Their resemblance to the Star of David moved one guest to write Sheldon Adelson‘s Las Vegas Review-Journal and complain that “It’s a 
real trigger. You see something like that and you stop in your tracks … It’s something we directly associate with a time, a place and a tragedy.” The incident in question took place not in Sin City but at newly lion-ized Northfield Park in Ohio. Consumer annoyance, for once, brought a prompt response: MGM will retire the offending badges. “We appreciate this being brought to our attention,” spokeswoman Debra DeShong told the R-J. “We regret anyone was offended — it was certainly not our intention. We are committed to ensuring that everyone feels welcome on our properties. Diversity and inclusion is at the core of our company’s values.”
* California‘s tribal casinos won’t like this. It’s hard enough to squelch banked games in card rooms. Imagine trying to eradicate gray-market, underground dice games in bars. Dice games are the sole prerogative of Class III tribal casinos, so we imagine the San Francisco Chronicle‘s exposé will cause no amusement in Indian Country. Said one player, “Don’t start. It’s a slippery slope. You’re playing a one-dollar game, pretty soon it’s 20 dollars.”
* Where do North Koreans go when they want to kick back? Macao will be the answer as soon as Air Koryo begins direct flights. Let the latest round of North Korean money laundering begin! North Korea isn’t the only oppressive regime to which China is cozying up: It’s currently in talks with Burma, too.
* Sara Slane, late of the American Gaming Association, has landed a nice gig at the National Hockey League. Her remit will be to ferret out 
opportunities for the NHL to work with the gaming industry. The NHL made no secret of the attractiveness of Slane’s resumé. Said Chief Revenue Officer Keith Wachtel, “This will give our clubs the opportunity to tap into her expertise but also her resources with these [casino] entities as they explore opportunities in those local markets.” Slane Advisory will be contracted to the league’s 24 teams on a one-year basis, with additional services provided at a “friends and family” rate. Keeping a foot in both camps, Slane will also continue to consult for the AGA as well.
The NHL has 31 teams, but 24 in the States. Might want to clarify.