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OIGA is focusing on human trafficking prevention with partnerships across Oklahoma.
Human trafficking remains a top priority
The Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association says combating human trafficking remains a major focus for tribal casinos across the state.
"As far as, you know, we're doing the human trafficking, that's something that's always top of mind for us. Being so prominent along the interstates and highways in Oklahoma, we're always very clear with our training of our staff and our people on property to be on the lookout for those type of opportunities," said Matthew Morgan, OIGA Chairman.
Morgan says every OIGA member has programs in place to train employees on warning signs and how to connect potential victims with help.
"Every one of our members have some programs in place to ensure that they're, one, trained on what to notice and where to go for the appropriate help to make sure that those people get the help they need," said Morgan.
Casinos work with law enforcement and industry partners
Morgan says human trafficking prevention efforts involve local, tribal and federal partners, along with regular staff training.
"We have partnerships with local law enforcement. We also have our internal trainings of our tribal law enforcement and our tribal security, our surveillance departments. Every time you walk into a casino, there's cameras everywhere," said Morgan.
He says employees are trained to identify warning signs and understand the next steps when they encounter a potential trafficking situation.
"It's working with the industry, whether that's counselors, whether that's independent agencies that train on how to look at and recognize some of those folks, all the way down to what happens when somebody presents themselves or you recognize that. Where do they go to? Who do you call? What are those next steps to ensure that we're doing our part to try to combat that?," said Morgan.
Because of Oklahoma's major interstate corridors, Morgan says casinos must remain vigilant.
"With I-35, I-40, I-44 running across the state, we know we're going to encounter it. So we've got to make sure that we're always on the forefront of having those conversations," said Morgan.
He says training sessions are held multiple times each year and include ongoing communication among law enforcement agencies.
"Those trainings get held multiple times a year at our properties across the state. We continue to have that dialogue with tribal and local law enforcement and with our federal partners as well, to make sure that we're all working together on the same teams trying to combat that the best we can," said Morgan.
Partnerships remain key to tribal gaming's success
Beyond public safety, Morgan says partnerships drive nearly every aspect of tribal gaming's impact across Oklahoma communities.
"Everything we do is based on partnerships," said Morgan.
Morgan points to economic development, infrastructure projects, education initiatives and local sports programs as examples of those collaborative efforts.
"We're working on the next economic development project, water, power, infrastructure, roads. Whether that's working with our local philanthropic partners, making sure those backpacks are full and ready to go for the kids, making sure that summer baseball league has fields and can pay their umpires," said Morgan.
Morgan says tribal nations rely on strong relationships with local communities, regional partners and state leaders.
"Partnerships are everything for us. We rely upon our partnerships, and we think we've been great partners with our local communities, with our regional partners and with the state in ensuring that we're doing our part to raise up Oklahoma to be the best that we can be," said Morgan.
Continued vigilance needed
Morgan says education and cooperation remain critical in addressing human trafficking.
"I think we do better on that subject every year as we educate more and more people. I remain hopeful that we can work together with all the partners across the board to make that as small as possible," said Morgan.
He acknowledges the challenge is not unique to Oklahoma but says tribal gaming operators will continue working to reduce its impact.
"We see this around the world. We see this across the country. It is always something that we have to be keenly aware of, making sure we're trying to stay two or three steps ahead of what people are doing," said Morgan.
"I don't know what the final answer is. All I know is that we can work hard in order to do our part to ensure that we're minimizing it," said Morgan.
