Other notable speakers include Eric Mahroum, federal Director of the Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs and Oklahoma gubernatorial candidate Charles McCall
TULSA, Oklahoma – United Indian Nations of Oklahoma (UINO) will convene its first quarterly meeting of 2026 on March 10 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at River Spirit Casino Resort in Tulsa, hosted by the Muscogee Nation. Speakers and panelists include Eric Mahroum, Director of the Office of Indian Energy Policy at the Department of Energy (DOE); Republican gubernatorial candidate Charles McCall; and tribal leaders, policy experts, organizers, and representatives from Oklahoma’s federally recognized tribes and tribal communities.
Throughout the day, leaders will discuss issues impacting tribal sovereignty, threats to tribal gaming from predictive market wagering, energy development, immigration enforcement, State–Tribal relations, and the growing interest in data center development on tribal lands.
“UINO’s quarterly meetings continue to ensure that contemporary tribal issues are elevated and coordinated between tribal stakeholders across this state,” said Chief Ben Barnes, Chairperson of UINO and Chief of the Shawnee Tribe. “When Oklahoma’s tribal leaders come together, we speak with clarity and unity about sovereignty, economic development, and the future of our citizens. Our collective voice matters, and these meetings help us exercise our strength.”
A key topic of discussion will be the growing emergence of “prediction markets” that offer event-based wagering that resembles sports betting yet operate outside the framework of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) and existing tribal–state compacts. Tribal leaders across the country have raised serious concerns that these platforms are regulated as financial instruments rather than gaming, bypassing tribal authority, undermining long-standing government-to-government agreements, and threatening critical revenues that fund essential services in Native communities. Panelists from the Indian Gaming Association (IGA), the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association (OIGA), National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), and the National Indian Tax Alliance (NITA) will discuss this growing threat to Tribal gaming.
“Oklahoma tribal gaming is under attack by so-called ‘prediction markets’ that function like unregulated online sports betting,” said Margo Gray, Executive Director of United Indian Nations of Oklahoma. "These platforms bypass tribal–state compacts and directly compete with our brick-and-mortar operations, threatening revenues that fund education, elder services and economic development. We are sounding the alarm in Oklahoma because protecting tribal gaming means protecting the essential services our citizens depend on.”
The meeting will also feature federal updates and coordinated strategy sessions aimed at protecting and strengthening government-to-government relationships and advancing economic development across Indian Country. A full agenda is attached.
UINO previously hosted Republican gubernatorial candidate and Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond at its 2025 annual meeting and looks forward to welcoming additional candidates at upcoming quarterly meetings in Oklahoma City and Tulsa.
UINO’s meetings are open to dues-paying members, and membership is open to Tribal Nations, individual Tribal citizens, and Tribal corporate and non-profit entities. Interested parties may download a membership application at uinoklahoma.com.
