Could “casinos and smoke shops soon begin popping up on every corner of downtown Tulsa?” So wondered Indian Country Today about a Supreme Court case that could dramatically alter the complexion of tribal gaming in Oklahoma. (Serves Kevin Stitt right.) The case hinges 
on whether or not the Muscogee Nation was disestablished in 1887. The original reservation, created in 1866, covered portions of eight counties. According to Casino.org, “If the court decides it was never disestablished, then the area and its citizens would be regulated, not by the state, but by the Creek Nation. It would also mean that crimes involving a tribal member as victim or perpetrator could only be tried by tribal or the federal governments.”
Where does gaming enter into this? A reaffirmation of the 1866 treaty means, by extension, that the Creek and other tribes could promulgate Class II all across their lands, without permission of the state. That sound your hear is Stitt grinding his molars. SCOTUS has adjudicated this matter before but Justice Neil Gorsuch is a wild card in the proceedings: He recused himself from the earlier vote due to its having been heard in his old stomping grounds, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. Gaming has nothing to do with the case at hand, which concerns convicted rapist Jimcy McGirt, sentenced to 500 years in prison for despoiling a four-year-old girl. McGirt argues that, as a tribal member, he is exempt from Sooner State jurisdiction. The state’s counter-argument is that an adverse verdict would “create economic and judicial chaos,” which may not be a good enough reason to move the Supremes.
* When the nomination of union member Geoconda Argüello-Kline to the [Allegiant] Stadium Authority Board went kaput like an Oakland Raiders fan’s playoff hopes the Culinary Union flew into a snit fit. “Clearly this decision today shows that the Clark County Commission does not care about the conduct and reputation of their members on the Stadium 
Authority board. If they wanted to affirm that board members can be racist, sexist, and threaten violence on Twitter (like Donald Trump does) and get away with it,” the local raged, “they have succeeded … Some commissioners are wrong to say that they ‘don’t see color’ or that the largest organization of immigrants in Nevada is ‘playing the race card,’ but the fact is there is not one woman of color on the Stadium Authority Board and the Clark County Commission’s decision is disheartening as we end this decade and head into 2020.” That’s some pretty volatile rhetoric. Can the Culinary back it up?
* Rivers Casino Des Plaines evidently puts more stock in sports betting than nightlife. It cannibalized its Cube nightclub into a handsome, new sports book. One hitch: The dilatory Illinois Gaming Board might have operating rules ready tomorrow … and then again, it might not. If your 
brain is good at multitasking, you’ll appreciate Rivers’ 47-foot LED wall which can show 27 games at a time. Bettors can look forward to five teller windows and one automated kiosk (we like the emphasis on face-to-face interaction). “Fourteen seconds [after the sports bar’s opening], someone played their first slot. I had my first inquiry on sports betting 30 seconds later,” General Manager Corey Wise told reporters. Rivers has also added eight gaming tables and 115 slots, to take advantage of new Illinois gambling expansion, and more is in store.
* “Director of benefits” apparently took on a new meaning for a former Penn National Gaming executive who allegedly decided that charity begins at home. Denise Bitler is facing a raft of indictments for supposedly having filched over $75,000 worth of gift cards that were 
intended as presents for employees. The charges include theft by unlawful taking or disposition, theft by deception, access device fraud, unlawful use of a computer and receiving stolen property. The gift cards were intended to incentivize employee fitness, being awarded when workers achieved certain metrics. Bitler used the cards for retail therapy, as well as vacation expenses … allegedly. Bitler, a smoker, is also charged with defrauding Penn out of $50/month premiums for tobacco users. Congratulations to Penn for its candor on what has to be a pretty embarrassing affair.
* Another day, another delay for casinos in Japan. Osaka Mayor Ichiro Matsui is now looking at 2026 as the most-realistic opening date for a casino in his city. So much for the chances of cashing in on the 2025 World Expo. Matsui put the responsibility for the delay on “multiple 
integrated resort companies” with whom he had been chatting. The new time frame for opening a casino is “between spring 2025 to autumn 2026.″ The derby for Osaka has narrowed to MGM Resorts International/Orix Corp., which has the considerable virtue of a Japanese joint-venture partner in its favor, Galaxy Entertainment, which can brag on its Macao successes, and Genting Singapore, whose Resorts World Sentosa is one of the role models toward which Japanese politicians are looking. Selection of a winner is at least six months distant.
Jottings: Evidently responding to negative customer feedback, Harrah’s Atlantic City is investing $24 million in guest-room renovations. It’s good to see capex maintenance going on even as the Eldorado Resorts takeover looms … Speaking of which, new ownership’s first priority at The Rio will be a rehabilitation of the 
property, which went to Hell in a handbasket under Caesars Entertainment‘s malign neglect. World Series of Poker players were said to be particularly vocal in their complaints about The Rio’s decrepitude … Pansy Ho continues to sell down her state in MGM’s Macao operations, leaving her with less than 2%. Perhaps her heightened role at rival Sociedade de Jogos de Macau has something to do with it … Pechanga Casino Resort is the official casino partner of both the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers, quite a coup … Wynn Resorts placed a vote of confidence in CEO Matt Maddox, extending his contract through 2022.
