Gambling In Ok

• Join GO Rewards Club. For the finer things in life. Get even more out of Indigo Sky Casino by signing up for a Go Rewards Club card. As a Go Rewards cardholder, you will receive casino perks including points toward free game play and invitations to member-only events and offers. Remember, the more you use your Go Rewards Club card while playing.
• The WinStar World Casino Hotel is determined to meet – and exceed – your every expectation. From your choice of three lavishly appointed hotel towers, you’ll have a soaring view of the Oklahoma woods and hills or one of our glistening pools. Whatever you desire, we aim to satisfy – day or night.
• Avoid the Slot Machines If You Can Help It. The house edge for the slot machines in Oklahoma is.

• Gambling In Oklahoma 2020
• Gambling In Oklahoma History

Oklahoma is just 45 minutes of where I sit in my home office as I write this post. Just over the Texas border, with Oklahoma is the world’s largest casino, WinStar.

WinStar is probably the most well-known casino in Oklahoma, which is itself a newcomer to the American casino scene.

But it’s not a a gambling destination to overlook when you’re planning your next casino vacation.

Oklahoma City, OK 73114. Riverwind Casino. Simulcast wagering Wed-Sun each week; 1544 State Highway 9 Norman, OK 73072. Newcastle Casino. Simulcast wagering with 18 viewing stations and 12 TVs; 2457 Highway 62 Service Road Newcastle, OK 73065. Southwind Casino. Simulcast wagering 7 days a week from 11AM to 9 PM; 5640 La Cann Road Newkirk, OK 74647.

The History of Gambling in Oklahoma

Gambling in Oklahoma has a recent history.

The Sooner State made horse racing legal in 1982. Compared to Nevada, Oklahoma was late to the gambling party. Nevada legalized gambling in 1949.

Oklahoma would wait another 10 years before making it legal to play bingo for money. If your grandma won money playing bingo before 1992 in OK, it was probably under the table.

In 2003, Oklahoma would legalize the lottery. This was in keeping with a nationwide trend of setting up state-run lotteries. People were driving across state lines to play the lottery.

Oklahoma saw this as a lost revenue opportunity and created their own lottery commission. Now, instead of their residents traveling to Texas to buy tickets, they could spend their lottery dollars in their home state.

Here’s a side note:

Casinos became legal the same year that lotteries became legal. 2004 was a big year for the Sooner State. There are quite a few requirements for casinos in Oklahoma. I will get into that shortly. All casinos in Oklahoma are required to be located and operated by native tribes.

Laws Surrounding Casinos in Oklahoma

Here are the basic gambling/ casino rules for the state of Oklahoma:

What Is the Legal Gambling Age in Oklahoma?

Gambling In Oklahoma 2020

18-21. The age range depends on the casino. Make sure to check the age requirements before visiting any Oklahoma casino.

Can Anyone Open a Casino?

No. The state mandated that the casinos in Oklahoma must be located on native lands and run by native tribes. This mandate is spelled out that native tribes have an exclusivity agreement with the state and pay 4-10% tax for this agreement.

Native tribes were the primary operators of horse tracks and most of the state’s bingo halls. Once the state legalized casinos, the native tribe racetracks and bingo halls converted to casinos.

Pay close attention to this story as it unfolds. This could be a huge shift in native lands casinos in this country. Oklahoma Governor Stitt has filed a lawsuit to halt operation of native casinos in his state.

Is There Anything Else I Need to Know About Oklahoma Gambling Laws?

Yes, there are a few quirks to Oklahoma’s gambling laws.

The first quirky law every casino has in common – there are ante requirements for all casino games. The ante varies depending on the game. Blackjack tables have a 50-cent ante, and craps and roulette tables have a $1.00 ante. It’s weird, but it’s also part of playing table games in the state.

Best Three Casinos to Visit in Oklahoma

This is my list of my favorite casinos and casino resorts to visit in the Sooner State. They are in no particular order. Some of the casinos you’ve heard of and some of the casinos are off the beaten path.

WinStar – Thackerville, OK

Let’s get this one off the table. WinStar is Oklahoma’s, America’s, and the World’s largest casino. WInStar is owned and operated by the Chickasaw Nation.

This truly mega casino opened its doors as the WinStar Casino the same year that Oklahoma legalized gambling in casinos. 2004 was a game changer for the native tribe gambling establishments.

WinStar renamed itself as the WinStar Word Casino and Resort in 2013. This same year it beat out Foxwoods Casino, a native lands casino in CT, as the largest casino in the world.

WInStar boasts 370,00 square feet with a poker room made up of 55 tables, over 8,500 gaming machines, over 100 gambling tables, keno, and a high roller suite.

If you’re looking for entertainment options, WInStar is home to the Global Events Center, a concert venue that has over 3,500 seats. Famous acts make tour stops on a regular basis.

I was able to see one of my favorite TV actors, Jerry Seinfeld, do his standup act there in the summer of 2019.

If you’re a foodie like my husband and I, you’ll be looking for dining options. WinStar World Casino and Resort offers options for all tastes and budget options.

Wanting a classic steak house experience?

Check.

Want a quick bite to soak up last night’s revelries before hitting the casino floor?

Check.

Your kid only eats spaghetti?

They’ve got Italian food too.

Don’t forget that WinStar also had its own PGA designed golf course. If you’re a fan of the Netflix hit documentary, Tiger King, it’s just a short drive to visit Joe Exotic’s former zoo.

WinStar is unique in its size and location. It’s just over an hour drive from the Dalls-Fort Worth Metroplex, one of the largest cities in America. This also makes traveling to the mega casino resort a breeze.

If you’re new to gambling in Oklahoma casinos, then WInStar World Casino and Resort is a great place to start.

Don’t get lost, though.

My son’s college roommate was there for a bachelor party and was lost for four hours. With a dead phone. And a little tipsy.

You’ve been warned.

Choctaw Casino and Resort – Durant, OK

Choctaw Casino and Resort in Durant, OK is the flagship location of the Choctaw Nation’s chain of casinos and resorts. The Durant location is located on 50 acres belonging to the Choctaw Nation.

As required by Oklahoma gaming laws, Choctaw properties are managed and owned by the tribal nation. The profits go to improvement projects for the native nation.

The Durant casino and resort has a 218,884 sq. Foot casino floor. You can play one of the over 4,800 gaming machines, place a bet (with an ante of course) at any of the over 80 table games. Choctaw Durant also offers a horse racing sportsbook.

There are a variety of dining and entertainment options. The resort features multiple pools with cabanas that can be reserved.

Are you thinking of making it a family trip?

The resort offers bowling, shopping, a movie theater, and an arcade.

The Choctaw Casino and Resort is a great option for families that are looking for a a family getaway with adult gambling and entertainment options.

Just like WinStar, Choctaw Durant is only a 1.5-hour drive from DFW airport.

Artesian Hotel Casino – Sulphur, OK

The high-end experience at Artesian Hotel Casino is a fantastic option for an adult-only weekend getaway. Located in Sulphur, OK, the casino and hotel is owned and operated by the Chickasaw Nation as per Oklahoma gaming laws.

The Artesian is much smaller than the other two casinos resorts on my list. The boutique hotel and casino opened April 2013. The casino floor is 15,000 square feet of gaming featuring high roller rooms, baccarat, blackjack, and poker.

Artesian Hotel Casino is an excellent romantic weekend getaway option. You can book a spa day, like my husband did for our 25^th wedding anniversary, at their award-winning spa, the SOLE’SERNITY.

Their dining options are reminiscent of country club offerings with a flushed-out wine list. The three dining establishment offer everything from a gourmet eggs benedict to a house-aged rib eye. My personal favorite drink offering is the Tennessee Fir Mule at the Fountain Club.

The hotel rooms are splendid with décor. The rooms range in size and amenities. They remind me of a less loud version of the W Chicago.

Much like the other two casino resorts on this list, this hotel and casino is a short drive from DFW airport, clocking in at about 2 hours. For me, a spa and gambling getaway is worth the slightly longer drive.

Conclusion

I hope you have better grasp of the casino offering from Oklahoma’s diverse gaming industry. This is just the tip of the iceberg of what Oklahoma’s gambling landscape has to offer.

There are 60 casinos in Oklahoma. All of them are owned and managed by native tribes. The fact that the tribes redistribute the profits to improvements within their communities is a feel-good win for me as well.

I would love to hear your feedback and questions. Leave a comment below.

The Oklahoma casino gambling scene has gone nuts in the last decade or two. You can find over 130 different casinos in the state, with over 75,000 slot machines. Table games are growing in popularity throughout the state, too, with over 650 table games available.

Recently, in fact, the state legalized dice games and roulette games. Blackjack has been a staple of Oklahoma casinos for quite a while, too.

And if you’re a poker player, there are plenty of live poker tables in the state, too — 200+.

In other words, if you live in or near Oklahoma, you have no shortage of casino gambling to choose from.

But the question is this:

How do you get the most out of Oklahoma casino gambling trips?

This post lists the top ten casino gambling tips that are specific to the needs of people who are going to gamble on casino games in Oklahoma.

Since there are more slot machines than any other kind of game in Oklahoma casinos, most of the advice in this post focuses on gambling machines.

I do have a lot to say about the table games in Oklahoma, too — especially as they relate to the antes that the casinos charge to play.

Let’s get started.

1 – Avoid the Slot Machines If You Can Help It

The house edge for the slot machines in Oklahoma is probably higher than any other game they offer — except maybe keno. States with Native American casinos — states like Oklahoma, in other words — don’t require the casinos to release information about the payback percentages of their machines.

We do know, though, that casinos in Nevada average in the close to 90% payback percentage if they’re in a location other than the Strip. In fact, some of the slot machines at the airport are said to have a payback percentage of 75% or so.

That means the house edge on those games is between 10% and 25%.

Gambling In Oklahoma History

If the slot machines in the airport have such low payback percentages in a state where they’re required to report those numbers, doesn’t it makes sense that casinos in a state where they don’t have to report that would have a higher house edge?

I’ve seen at least one post speculate that the payback percentage for these games is between 75% and 85%. I think whoever wrote that post is being too generous.

I’d be surprised if the house edge on any of the slot machines in Oklahoma is lower than 20%.

They just stand to make too much money, and they have an almost hostage audience, since they’re the only game in town for many people.

If you can avoid the slot machines with their lousy odds, you can gamble your money on games where the house edge is more forgiving.

You might even be able to spend some time at the poker table, where you can actually get an edge of your own by playing better than the other players.

2 – Be Careful of the Slots Clubs in the Casinos

I have a friend who hits Choctaw Casino almost every weekend. He only lives 30 minutes away, and he spends at least one of his two days off at the casino each week. He’s a member of the players’ club there, and he told me last week that he was trying to climb to the top of the VIP ladder.

Here’s how the slots club works, by the way.

You get points based on how much money you put into action. If you play slots for $1 per spin at 600 hands per hour, you’ve put $600 into action per hour. Your points are based on that amount of wagering.

Those points get converted into rebates and comps. Those comps improve as you climb the VIP ladder, which you do by wagering more.

But here’s how gambling works.

The more money you put into action, the more money the house wins from you. If you’re playing a game with a 20% house edge, you expect to lose $120 for every $600 you wager.

It costs you money in the form of losses to climb that VIP ladder.

And it costs you far more money in losses than you stand to gain in value from your VIP status, no matter how good their program is.

Yes, you should belong to the slots club, and yes, you should always play with your card inserted.

What you want to avoid is putting money into action you wouldn’t otherwise spend just so that you can get more points on your players’ club card.

3 – Try Playing With the House’s Money

Most gamblers who talk about playing with the house’s money are confused. They think that if they’ve won, the money in front of them is the house’s money. The idea is that you can take your initial stake out of action and only gamble with the winnings that you had in front of you.

There are a couple of things wrong with this line of thinking.

For one thing, any money that’s in front of you at the casino is your money, not the casino’s. Once you’ve won it, that’s your money.

For another thing, many times, you’ll sit down and lose your initial stake and be behind the entire gaming session. In those sessions, it’s literally impossible to play “with the house’s money.”

But what I’m talking about here is literally playing with nothing but the house’s money.

At many — if not most — Oklahoma casinos, the casino will give you a certain amount of free money to play with. The only catch is that you must gamble all of it at least once before cashing out.

This is like signing up for a no-deposit online casino bonus with a 1x wagering requirement. That’s unheard of in an online casino, and for good reason.

But what if you hit every one of Oklahoma’s 135 casinos, and they each gave you an average of $20 in free money to play with?

You then make $20 in wagers, and when you’ve hit the wagering requirement, you quit, regardless of how much money you have in front of you.

Keep in mind that you didn’t have to buy in at all. You’re just using the free money the casino gave you.

Even if you only have $1 left after gambling the $20, that’s ALL profit.

If you average $10 in winnings at each casino, you’ll have over $1,000.

But don’t make the mistake of thinking that you should gamble with your winnings once you’ve hit your wagering limit. That’s how you lose money.

Just hit your wagering requirement, cash out your free money, and move on.

If you’re a committed low roller, you’ll understand how attractive this strategy is.

4 – Watch Out for the Ante on Those Table Games

Remember how I suggested that the house edge for the slot machines was higher than you should accept from a gambling game?

The house edge on the table games isn’t much better — thanks to the ante that the casinos charge.

In fact, it’s not even really an ante. That’s a term borrowed from poker to describe a forced bet.

The ante on table games like blackjack, craps, and roulette in Oklahoma casinos isn’t a wager. It’s just a fee that they charge you for playing the game. The price varies based on the game, but look at what happens to the house edge of the game.

But you’re GUARANTEED a loss of 50 cents per hand on top of that 5 cents, so you’re actually losing (on average) 55 cents per hand.

Since you’re looking at $5 per hand, that’s a house edge of 11%.

You can reduce that by betting more per hand, but it still causes your house edge to skyrocket.

If you bet $10 per hand instead of $5 per hand, you’d expect to lose 10 cents per hand because of the house edge and another 50 cents because of the so-called ante. That’s 60 cents per hand, or 6%.

But be careful, because once your bet gets over a specific amount, the ante goes up, too. For example, if you’re in a casino where the ante is 50 cents per hand up to $100, and then goes up to $1, you’d be a lot better off betting $90 than betting $100 per hand.

5 – You Should Still Tip the Dealer Occasionally

I’ve never understood gamblers in any locale who didn’t want to tip the dealer. After all, these people are working hard for their money. Why wouldn’t you want to help them accomplish their goals in life?

I’ve gambled in Oklahoma casinos and never tipped. I’ve also gambled and tipped generously.

In my experience, tipping generously results in a much better time at the casino than not tipping at all.

You don’t have to give the dealers all your money.

Just place a bet for them occasionally.

6 – Visit the Two Biggest Casinos in Oklahoma (Even If It Means You Have to Travel a Distance)

The WinStar Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma, is one of the biggest casinos in the world. If you’ve never seen it, you should, just because of the scope of it. It’s enormous, with over half a million square feet of gaming space. They also boast of over 7,000 slot machines in their casino.

That might not sound impressive, but think about this.

The WinStar, by itself, accounts for almost 10% of the slot machines in the entire state.

Also, Kirby’s is a great steakhouse. You owe it to yourself to have a meal there.

Choctaw Casino is the second-biggest casino in the state, but it only has 300,000 square foot of gaming space and half as many slot machines as the WinStar. Still, it’s impressive, and depending on where you live, it might be much closer to travel to.

7 – Practice the Games Online Before You Go

Did you know that you can try the casino games at the WinStar Casino online before traveling to the casino?

Their free games site offers you the opportunity to practice their games and get comfortable with them before traveling to the casino in person.

They categorize the playable games as follows:

• Egames
• Tourneys
• Video poker
• Etables
• Keno

I should warn you that the games on the site often load slowly, so don’t be too disappointed if you have trouble playing the games there.

You can find plenty of online casinos which offer free, playable games for you to practice on. Many of the online casinos we promote on this site offer free games. You can practice your blackjack game just as easily at one of those sites as you can on the WinStar’s official site.

And you won’t have to deal with the excessive load times.

8 – Try the Poker Rooms

I try to steer my readers toward playing poker as often as possible because I like to credit my readers for having above-average intelligence. The great thing about poker is that if you can play with more skill than the other players at the table, you can play with an advantage.

Think about it this way.

If you’re sitting at a table with ten players who are exactly the same skill level as you, then you’ll eventually lose all your money.

The poker room charges a 5% rake on every hand. Since you’d be losing as much as the other players at the table, you’d be gradually going broke.

But…

If you’re twice as good as the other players at the table, you could expect to profit over time — and in fact, you’d expect to profit enough that the 5% rake wouldn’t cause you to lose money.

In the long run, you’d be facing a positive expectation situation, so you’d be more likely to win.

On top of that, the WinStar hosts a lot of poker tournaments. If you’re a skilled player, you can compete for life-changing jackpots and have a better than average chance of winning them.

From a purely mathematical and expected value standpoint, the poker games at Oklahoma casinos are almost always a better deal than the casino games.

The only thing you have to do is be a better than average player.

9 – Leave Your Debit Card at Home

Everyone thinks that they’re immune to the sights and sounds of the casino, but that reminds me of a principle I learned a few years ago about brainwashing.

Being familiar with the techniques used to brainwash people does NOT make you immune to brainwashing. You can be brainwashed just like anyone else.

I’m not suggesting that the casinos brainwash their patrons, but they do have subtle and effective means of manipulating gamblers into losing more money than they plan for.

One of the ways you can prevent this from happening to you is to only take cash to the casino. Leave your debit card and your checkbook at home.

You might come home a winner in the short run once in a while, but you can’t count on that. The best way to avoid losing money to the casino that you didn’t mean to is to only take the cash with you that you can afford to lose.

Even if you only live 15 minutes away, leave the debit card at home.

Driving just those 15 minutes to get your debit card can give you enough time to come back to your senses.

10 – Consider Some of the MANY Other Activities Oklahoma Has to Offer

If you love history, museums, nature, and parks, Oklahoma has much more to offer you than just casino games. You should take advantage of these offerings. I understand that some people only want to visit Oklahoma to gamble, but you should consider broadening your horizons for one reason more than any other.

Since the casinos have a mathematical edge, the more time you spend playing the games, the more money you can plan to lose. Every minute you spend engaged in some activity there besides gambling is money in your pocket.

The best museum in the state to visit is Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum in Oklahoma City. You can visit for as little as $18, and it’s worth every penny.

If you love nature, the most beautiful place to visit is Beavers Bend Resort Park in Broken Bow. It’s far calmer and more serene there than you can imagine. If you’ve spent time at Turner Falls, which is beautiful, you’ll understand that not all the parks in Oklahoma are peaceful.

And those two suggestions barely scratch the surface of what’s available in the state. Check out any legitimate travel guide for more ideas of things you can do to distract yourself from gambling.

Conclusion

Some of the advice for Oklahoma gamblers that I’ve given holds true for gamblers anywhere, but I’ve tried to tailor the advice specifically to people visiting Oklahoma. Some aspects of gambling in the state are different than other places.

For example, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the slot machines in Oklahoma offer the same payout percentages and odds as the slot machines in Vegas. After all, they look exactly the same.

Being aware that the house edge on slots in Las Vegas is much higher is half the battle.

Joining the slots club is a good idea, but don’t overdo it trying to rise in the ranks of the club. Definitely take advantage of the free money the casinos offer people, especially if you’re a committed low roller.

Don’t take your ATM card to the casino. Just take cash that you’re willing to lose. It’s far easier to get sucked into a self-destructive spiral than you might think.

Practice the free games online before playing in person.

And PLEASE don’t forget to give poker (real poker) a chance. You have a much better chance of going home a winner from the poker room than you do anywhere else in the casino.

And don’t forget some of the other sights in the state. The museums and parks in Oklahoma are wonderfully affordable.