Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City): Survey: Share of gambling Oklahomans less than national average

Although Oklahoma is home to more casino facilities than almost any state in the nation, the percentage of adult Oklahomans who gambled at a casino last year is among the lowest in the country, according to a new survey.

Profile of the American Casino Gambler: Harrah's Survey 2004 indicates 396,000 Oklahoma adults gambled at a casino last year, or roughly 16 percent of adults older than 21.

However, the share of Oklahoma's adult population traveling to casinos is lower than the national average of 26 percent of adults, even though there are more than 80 tribal casinos scattered across the state.

The survey found Oklahoma gamblers averaged 3.4 trips to in-state and out-of-state casinos during the past 12 months. Oklahoma Indian casinos, Las Vegas and Tunica, Miss., were the most popular gaming destinations for Oklahomans, who made 1.3 million casino visits in 2003.

A spokesman for Harrah's declined to identify the percentage of Oklahoma gamblers traveling out of state, saying it was proprietary information.

Profile of the American Casino Gambler, commissioned by Harrah's Entertainment Inc., shows the 165,000 gamblers in the Oklahoma City designated market area accounted for roughly half - 578,000 - of all Oklahoma trips. Consistent with statewide trends, Oklahoma Indian casinos, Las Vegas and Tunica were the most popular among Oklahoma City-area gamblers.

The demand for casino gambling among Oklahomans is undeniable, yet these individuals are limited in their freedom to play casino games within the state, said Gary Loveman, Harrah's president and chief executive officer. The restrictions on casino gambling force residents to spend significant portions of their gambling budgets elsewhere, resulting in the loss of a broad range of employment, capital investment and other economic benefits.

The Harrah's report comes as Oklahoma voters are poised to decide the fate of a state question that would expand casino gambling in the state. State Question 712 would authorize state-tribal compacts to allow certain types of casino gambling at Native American facilities and three horse racetracks. The proposed compacts would also grant tribal casinos the exclusive right to provide non-house-banked card games.

The proposed compacts would give the state a share of gambling profits on machines authorized by the compacts with the money earmarked for education.

The Office of State Finance has estimated the proposed compacts would generate more than $70 million annually in state revenue. Those revenue projections assume total adjusted gross revenue of $93 million from casino operations at state racetracks and $1.2 billion at tribal casinos in Oklahoma, for a total of $2.13 billion, an average of $5,400 for each Oklahoma casino gambler identified in the Harrah's survey.

Only seven states currently have a lower percentage of the population involved in casino gambling, according to the Harrah survey: Georgia (13 percent), Maine (12 percent), Virginia (12 percent), Vermont (9 percent), North Carolina (8 percent), South Carolina (8 percent) and West Virginia (7 percent).

No state bordering Oklahoma had a lower percentage of its population involved in casino gambling, according to the Harrah survey.

The survey indicated 26 percent of Kansas natives had traveled to a casino in the past year, compared to 30 percent of Missouri adults, 22 percent of Arkansans, 21 percent of Texans, 32 percent of New Mexico natives, and 34 percent of Colorado adults.

The survey also listed the top three casino destinations for each state, but Oklahoma's tribal facilities did not make the top-three list for any state bordering Oklahoma even though many of Oklahoma's tribal casinos are on the state line.

With the exception of Nevada, Oklahoma has more casinos than any other state in the country, according to figures provided by the National Indian Gambling Commission and American Gaming Association.

Oklahoma also has more tribal casinos than any other state in the country and Oklahoma even has more casinos than states with both commercial and tribal operations - with the exception of Nevada.

Profile of the American Casino Gambler: Harrah's Survey 2004 is based on three studies: the National Profile Study and the U.S. Gaming Panel, both conducted by TNS NFO on a nationwide basis; and a special section devoted to poker, based on a survey of amateur and professional poker players at the 2004 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.

The survey found that two out of three casino gamblers take at least one long vacation trip per year, while less than half of non- gamblers do.

Slot/video poker machines were the most popular game among both men and women, with 66 percent of male and 81 percent of female gamblers reporting they play electronic gaming machines most often.

Men preferred table games by a margin of more than two-to-one over women (20 percent to 8 percent), with blackjack/21 the single most popular table game.

Younger adults were most likely to play table games, with 18 percent of 21- to 35-year-olds reporting they play table games most often.

Various subsidiaries of Harrah's Entertainment Inc. own or manage 28 casinos in the United States, primarily under the Harrah's brand name.