{"id":25750,"date":"2020-01-06T08:04:29","date_gmt":"2020-01-06T16:04:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/?p=25750"},"modified":"2023-11-20T08:16:23","modified_gmt":"2023-11-20T16:16:23","slug":"stitt-escalates-oklahoma-conflict-the-new-n-word","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/stitt-escalates-oklahoma-conflict-the-new-n-word\/","title":{"rendered":"Stitt escalates Oklahoma conflict; The new N-word"},"content":{"rendered":"

Oklahoma<\/strong> Gov. Kevin Stitt<\/strong>‘s jihad<\/em> against the state’s gaming tribes has claimed its first casualty<\/a>.\u00a0Secretary of Native American Affairs Lisa Billy<\/strong> resigned, writing that the governor was\u00a0\u201ccommitted to an unnecessary conflict … [You have]\u00a0remained intent on breaking faith with them,” Billy penned, referring to the tribes. “You have dismissed advice and facts that \"\"show the peril of your chosen approach and have remained intent on breaking faith with the tribes. Your actions have shown that my continuing in service on your cabinet is unnecessary to you and impossible for me.\u201d She also slammed Stitt for threatening to open the Sooner State to private-sector casino companies as means of clubbing tribes into submission. Stitt, for his part, could not refrain from posturing about the issue.\u00a0\u201c[Legislators are]\u00a0privately telling me that they support me. But you\u2019ve got to realize that the other thing that\u2019s frustrating that Oklahomans need to understand is when certain industries, the casino industry, pours money into campaigns, it complicates it and the lobbying and that\u2019s what you\u2019re trying to see happen to advocate for their positions.”<\/p>\n

Mind you, Stitt was not above accepting $17,600 in tribal contributions from tribes in the last election cycle, which gives an ironic hue to his preening “Oklahomans hate that stuff. They hate the fact that a big industry can control public perceptions. That\u2019s what drives [tribes]\u00a0so crazy about me being an independent, outside governor, I come from the private sector, and I\u2019m going to go back to the private sector.\u201d Stitt continued talking out of both sides of his mouth<\/a> regarding the current compact standoff. He noted that two tribes,\u00a0Kialegee Tribal Town<\/strong> and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians<\/strong>, had accepted his unilateral compact extension to Aug. 31, while threatening the non-compliant tribes with “impending uncertainty,” menace that was particularly directed toward their vendors.<\/p>\n

Three major tribal chiefs were not impressed, writing to Stitt that\u00a0\u201cFor some time, we have tried to establish meaningful intergovernmental engagement regarding our gaming compacts, but you have continued to reject our compacts\u2019 plain terms. Recently, you have gone further, stating \"\"allegations against us and threats to our operations.\u201d As for that “uncertainty” for vendors of which Stitt darkly warned,\u00a0 \u201cWe regard your threats to our vendors, who are not parties to the compacts, as inappropriate. As you know, the state has no legal authority to determine the legality of, or otherwise regulate, gaming on Indian land, including the acts of vendors in support of the tribal governmental gaming. Of course, tribes are the primary regulators of those vendors.\u201d Stitt thinks he’s got the tribes backed into a corner but he’s the one whose escalating rhetoric may force him to lash out in a manner he’ll have $140 million worth of fiscal cause to regret. What’s more, his ‘negotiating’ tactics are so polarizing they’ll make it that much harder for him to find middle ground on tax increases.<\/p>\n

* Bad news<\/a> for Oyo Las Vegas<\/strong>: A New York Times<\/em> report on the Oyo \"\"brand disclosed<\/a>, among other things, that Oyo “offers rooms from unavailable hotels, thereby inflating its room numbers; that thousands of the rooms are from unlicensed hotels and guesthouses; that it gives free rooms to local officials to deter trouble over the illegal rooms; and that Oyo has imposed extra fees and declined to pay hotels in full.” So far the problems seem confined to India<\/strong>, but as Oyo grows as fast as possible there’s no telling how far they’ll reach. \u201cThis is the only company which went global at this scale from India,\u201d says on researcher. \u201cBut as of now, there are serious doubts about the business model.\u201d\u00a0Is it too late to revert to Hooters?<\/p>\n

* Encore Boston Harbor<\/strong> won’t find it any easier to incentivize slot play if it continues to sweat points. According to Vegas Message Board<\/em>, Encore is awarding one point for every $5 of play (vs. $1.50 at Wynncore<\/strong>) and $10\/point for video poker, compared to Wynncore<\/strong>‘s $6\/point. We see a marketing opportunity for Plainridge Park<\/strong> in this.<\/p>\n

* Sports books stand to clean up big after the Tennessee Titans<\/strong> defeated the favored\u00a0New England Patriots<\/strong> and evil Steve Wynn<\/strong> crony Robert Kraft<\/strong>. Say, Bob, isn’t there a Florida<\/strong> massage parlor waiting for you? This is how a dynasty ends<\/a>, not with a bang but a Tom Brady<\/strong> pick-six. (Books scored another big win Sunday when heavy road underdog Minnesota Vikings<\/strong> upended the New Orleans Saints<\/strong>.)<\/p>\n

Speaking of football, the now-Las Vegas Raiders<\/strong> can look back on a 2019 in which they yawned in the face of long-suffering Raider Nation, phoning it in against crummy teams like the New York Jets<\/strong> and Denver Broncos<\/strong>. Now they have a new stadium, new fanbase, a blank slate and the chance of an easy schedule. Here’s hoping the Malosos<\/em> turn over a new leaf in Sin City, which is ready to embrace them.<\/p>\n

* The Oscar<\/strong> derby is suddenly shaping up as a two-horse race between Quentin Tarantino<\/strong>‘s Once Upon a Time in … Hollywood<\/em>, the picture that just keeps on going, and Sam Mendes<\/strong>‘ sanitized World War I<\/strong> epic, 1917<\/em>, which is peaking at the right time. (Don’t discount Terrence Malick<\/strong>‘s A Hidden Life<\/em>; the Academy Awards<\/strong> are pushovers for Holocaust dramas.) Fading fast are Martin Scorcese<\/strong>‘s The Irishman<\/em> and Noah Baumbach<\/strong>‘s Marriage Story<\/em>. Why? It’s simple. The N-word: Netflix<\/strong>. It backed both movies and that back<\/em>fired with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association<\/strong>, which blanked Scorcese and only singled out Laura Dern<\/strong>‘s contribution to the Baumbach film. Netflix-funded Dolomite Is My Name<\/em> also got shut out, as did The Two Popes<\/em>. The playing-a-historical-figure gambit won Golden Globes<\/strong> for Ren\u00e9e Zellweger<\/strong> (as July Garland<\/strong>) and Taron Egerton<\/strong>‘s Elton John<\/strong>. Zellwegger deserves a prize for the most bizarre, disjointed Golden Globes acceptance speech\u2014and the competition was fierce. Please, Awkwafina<\/strong>, win an Oscar and spare us a repetition.<\/p>\n