Keetoowah Cherokee Casino | 2025 Updates

Nation | Tribe: United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians

KEETOOWAH CHEROKEE CASINO

2540 So. Muscogee Ave (Hwy 62)
Tahequah, Oklahoma 74464

(918) 456-6131
(918) 456-6622 Fax

The federal goverment approved gaming at the Keetoowah Cherokee Casino in Tahlequah, OK in April, 2025. The casino has been shut down since Aug. 30, 2013. The casino originally opened in 1986 and operated for 27 years before losing a legal dispute with the Cherokee Nation over gaming rights on the land. The casino was shut down in 2013 abd later replacedd by the River Brewhouse in 2019

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Keetoowah Cherokee Casino

Keetoowah Cherokee Casino was a former Indian gaming casino in Tahlequah, OK, owned by the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians. The casino opened in 1986 but was closed in 2013 after losing a lawsuit by the Cherokee Nation over jurisdictional gaming rights.

During the 27 years of operation, the Keetoowah Cherokee Casino featured 500 slot machines and a restaurant named The Grill. The casino was location on Hwy 62 at 2540 So. Muscogee Ave in Tahequah.

Since closing, the Keetoowah Cherokee Casino's Facebook page has remained online.

News Headlines

United Keetoowah Band signs gaming compact with Oklahoma May 16, 2025 - The economic future of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians (UKB) in Oklahoma looks much more promising following recent actions by the ... Read more

Feds approve Keetoowah Cherokee Casino (Closed in 2013) April 22, 2025 - The federal government this month granted oermission to the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians (UKB) to conduct casino gaming at the former ... Read more

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Features in 2013

Keetoowah Cherokee Casino was shut down on Aug. 30, 2013.

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United Keetoowah Band signs gaming compact with Oklahoma

May 16, 2025

The economic future of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians (UKB) in Oklahoma looks much more promising following recent actions by the federal and state governments.

• In January the U.S. Department of Interior issued a Memorandum Opinion (M-Opinion) stating the UKB and the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma (CNO) share joint jurisdiction of the Cherokee Reservation in northeastern Oklahoma.

• In April the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) restored gaming rights to the UKB on its trust lands by approving the tribes updated 2025 gaming code.

• On April 29, 2025 the UKB signed the Model Tribal Gaming Compact with the State of Oklahoma to allow Class III gaming on UKB trust land. Class III games are house-banked games, such as Vegas-style slot machines and most table games.

A press release was issued by UKB Chief Jeff Wacoche with this statement:

"This agreement reflects years of determination and is a significant turning point for the Keetoowah people. Gaming is not just about business - it's about restoring self-determination, creating jobs, and building prosperity for our Tribal Members."

- Jeff Wacoche, UKB Chief

The significance of these events was summarized by Tori Holland, UKB delegate to Congress:

"Now that we have the M-Opinion, we are supposed to get the land taken into trust by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. There is no set timeline on when that can happen, but since that is in play, we are now working on making sure that we have everything ready to go when the time comes for us to open up a gaming operation.

"Once we get the land taken into trust, that means that the United States has found that this is our reservation too, and with that comes even more economic possibilities. As a sovereign nation with authority over our own land, that opens up several more economic journeys, rather than just a casino."

- Tori Holland, UKB delegate to Congress

Holland expects the casino project to be a significant benefit to the tribe and its members. The original Keetoowah Cherokee Casino, which shut down in 2013, had been the major source of revenue for the tribe. After it closed, the tribe cut its workforce and relied heavily on federal grants.

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Feds approve Keetoowah Cherokee Casino (Closed in 2013)

April 22, 2025

The federal government this month granted oermission to the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians (UKB) to conduct casino gaming at the former site of the Keetoowah Cherokee Casino in Tahlequah, OK. The casino shut down on Aug. 30, 2013 after losing a jurisdiction lawsuit by the Cherokee Nation. The casino has since been replaced by the River Brewhouse in 2019.

The opportunity to resume gaming operations was issued by the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC), an agency within the Department of Interior (DOI). The NIGC action was taken after a Jan. 17th memorandum was issued by the DOI Solicitor's Office that reaffirmed the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indian's jurisdiction on the Oklahoma Cherokee reservation. The solicitor, Robert T. Anderson, wrote the memorandum in the final days of the Biden's Administration, which includes this statement:

"In July 2022, UKB requested that the Secretary take into trust a 2.63-acre parcel of land in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. UKB intends to use the parcel for gaming purposes 'to improve and advance the economic status of its members.'"

The Cherokee Nation intends to fight this decision by the federal government. At the smae time, the UKB has not commented on their plans or next steps.

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