By Tony Choate, Media Relations Specialist
Chickasaw Nation Media Relations Office
Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby named Matthew L. Morgan as interim Gaming Commissioner for the tribe effective June 2.
"Matthew has the experience, integrity and energy necessary to meet the demands of this position," said Gov. Anoatubby. "He understands the need for effective regulation and has proven he has the knowledge and sound judgment needed to achieve that goal."
The Gaming Commissioner serves as the primary regulator of the Chickasaw Nation's gaming operations. Profits from those operations exceeded $414 million in FY 2007.
Mr. Morgan has worked as in-house legal counsel and policy advisor to the Chickasaw Nation for the past seven years. He has served as an Assistant General Counsel with the Chickasaw Nation's Justice Department, the General Counsel with the Office of the Gaming Commissioner and the Chief Government Relations Officer with the Division of Commerce.
Work of the gaming commissioner includes making and publishing regulations dealing with employment, licenses, fees and other aspects of the business.
The commissioner also works with the comptroller to design procedures to prevent theft and ensure the integrity of gaming operations.
In addition to his employment with the Chickasaw Nation, Mr. Morgan currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the National Indian Gaming Association. He is Chair of the Indian Law Section of the Oklahoma Bar Association. He is a past Chair of the Chickasaw Bar Association and previously served as president of the American Indian Alumni Society of the University of Oklahoma.
Mr. Morgan is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma. He earned his Juris Doctorate from the College of Law and a Bachelor's of Business Administration degree with a minor in Native American Studies from the Price School of Business.
The Chickasaw Nation operates more than a dozen casinos and gaming centers. Those operations include two of the largest casinos in Oklahoma, Riverwind Casino near Norman and WinStar World Casinos in Thackerville.
Mr. Morgan is a descendent of Chickasaw original enrollees Nancy Roberts and Bina Underwood and Choctaw original enrollees, Osborne Harris and Mattie Wallace. He is the grandson of Tom and Lora Morgan and RL (Dutch) Heck and Mary Heck and the son of Doyle and Marilyn Morgan. He is happily married to the former Candessa Tehee, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, and they currently reside in Ada, Oklahoma with their three children, Jolie, Kelsey and Lawson Morgan.
