Nov 5, 2022; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Drake Stoops (12) celebrates with wide receiver Marvin Mims (17) after scoring a touchdown against the Baylor Bears during the second half at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports

• An Oklahoma Representative’s sports betting bill has found a sponsor in the senate
• HB 1027 seeks to allow Oklahoma tribes to amend their gaming compacts to legalize retail and online sports betting
• Sen. Bill Coleman announced today he will sign on Senate author of the bill

An Oklahoma Sports Betting bill has found a sponsor in the senate while legalized sports betting still has the support of Gov. Kevin Stitt (R). 

Rep. Ken Luttrell’s (R-37) bill, HB 1027, will allow state tribes to amend their gaming compacts to offer retail and/or online sports betting. Luttrell filed a similar bill in the 2022 legislative session, but the bill never received a vote on the House floor.

Today, Sen. Bill Coleman (R-10) announced he will be signing on as the senate author of the bill.

Oklahoma Sports Betting Finds Senate Support

Coleman announced his support for the bill this afternoon, as he believes the legalization of sports betting will be an economic boon for the state.

“Oklahomans love their sports – we have the lottery, three horse tracks, and the most tribal casinos of any state. Sports betting through our tribal partners would simply provide another opportunity for our state’s sports fanatics to have some fun while creating thousands of new jobs and millions in revenue to further boost our economy. With the popularity of sports betting exploding around the nation, I hope our legislative colleagues realize the tremendous fiscal impact this will have on our state and approve sports betting this session,” Coleman said in a press release.

Luttrell’s bill will allow state tribes to offer retail and/or online sports betting. Currently, 35 of the state’s 38 federally recognized tribes have signed gaming compacts and there are 143 tribal casinos and gaming centers in Oklahoma that could possibly offer sports betting.

The bill includes a monthly sliding scale that would require state tribes to pay a higher fee as the month goes on depending on each of the tribe’s net win.

Here is the fee scale he is proposing:

• 4% of the first $5 million of monthly net win received by a tribe
• 5% of the next $5 million of adjusted gross revenues received by a tribe
• 6% of all subsequent adjusted gross revenues received by a tribe

The fee percentages would reset at the beginning of each month.

The bill had its second reading on Feb. 7 and was  referred to the House Appropriations and Budget Committee.

Gov. Stitt Supports Sports Betting

Luttrell has a heavy hitter in his corner in favor of sports betting, as Gov. Stitt has publicly thrown his support behind its potential.

According to Fox 23 News, Stitt he is open to signing legislation to legalize sports betting in Oklahoma if “we do it the right way and responsibly.”

“We’ve been behind the scenes looking into how we can do that in Oklahoma,” Stitt said in the interview. “We already have casino gambling in Oklahoma. We just need to make sure we do it the right way and responsibly. We need to make sure we have audit capabilities, and we get a fair deal for Oklahoma. It’s something I’d love to see us work on.”

Stitt reiterated in the interview that if sports betting is “100% fair and transparent to Oklahomans,” then he will be open to signing the legislation.

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