Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma Gets Go Ahead to Launch Online Poker Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma Gets Go Ahead to Launch Online Poker
Key Takeaways
  • On Wednesday, the State of Oklahoma informed the US District Court for the Western District that it should confirm an arbitrator’s decision that the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma could legally launch an online poker site under the terms of the state’s gambling compact.
  • The Iowa Tribe plans to launch PokerTribe.com, but online poker will only be available to non-US residents.

On Wednesday, the State of Oklahoma informed the US District Court for the Western District that it should confirm an arbitrator’s decision that the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma could legally launch an online poker site under the terms of the state’s gambling compact.

In January this year, the Iowa Tribe asked the court to confirm the arbitrator’s decision. The arbitrator, retired judge Charles Chapel, ruled that the “use of the Internet is merely using technology to play covered games as a way to increase tribal revenues. It does not extend or restrict the scope of the games and does not amend the compact in any way.”