"The 30 Oklahoma Indian tribes engaged in gaming have contributed more than $107 million to the state treasury this fiscal year — almost twice the amount expected — which is good news for the state, needless to say.

State Treasurer Scott Meacham said he expects the tribes, which have compacts with the state, to generate about $120 million in revenue for the state by the end of the fiscal year.

That's a lot more than the $70 million per year estimate arrived at five years ago when the first gaming compacts were signed.

Tribal gaming provided about $105 million to the state last fiscal year, and $81 million the year before that. Most of the gaming revenues go to public education.

Oklahoma's 110 tribal casinos brought in a total of nearly $3 billion in gaming revenue in 2008, according to reports made to the recent Sovereignty Symposium in Oklahoma City.

State leaders are understandably ecstatic about the revenue growth. Clay Pope, a former lawmaker and advocate of tribal gaming, thinks gaming revenue to the state could reach $300 million a year."

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