Oklahoma sports betting legalization proponents see 2025 hopes slipping away.
Rep. Ken Luttrell told local media he knows the uphill battle his House sports betting bills face in the Senate. Meanwhile, a Senate bill giving an Oklahoma sports betting license to the Oklahoma City Thunder was pulled from a House committee agenda Monday.
Gov. Kevin Stitt has repeatedly said he does not approve of the bills moving through the legislature. Stitt and the state’s tribes, which have a say in Oklahoma gambling matters, do not have a working relationship.
Oklahoma Sports Betting Glimmer Of Hope
Luttrell passed sports betting legislation through the House in 2023. This year, he brought two bills for two different tactics.
His HB 1047 would legalize it through the normal legislative process. HB 1101, however, would put the bill up for a public vote.
While Stitt has pledged to veto any of the sports betting legislation in play, he can only set the referendum date of HB 1101 if lawmakers pass it.
“Needless to say, the governor is not very happy with me right now,” Luttrell told the Pawhuska Journal-Capital. “He said my two bills are the height of corruption.”
Luttrell Bill Details
Luttrell’s legislation would provide the state’s tribes a pathway to amend their compacts to include sports betting. It would require at least four tribes to do so.
The Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association said its preferred language is in Luttrell’s bills.
“These bills represent a balanced approach, ensuring both tribal and public interests are served,” Luttrell said in a release last month. “By legalizing sports betting, we’re not only creating new opportunities but also capturing revenue from millions of dollars that are currently being bet illegally or out of state.”
Veto Override?
If the Senate were to pass HB 1047, Stitt has promised to veto it.
Sen. Bill Coleman, who sponsored the Thunder-centric bill, is doubtful the Senate could override a veto of HB 1047.
Stitt remains committed to pushing his proposal, which he unveiled in 2023 and which would open the market up to commercial operators.
Thunder Bill Doubtful
Coleman hoped his Thunder bill, SB 585, could garner the appropriate parties’ interest. As the session moves on, however, neither Stitt nor the tribes have indicated support.
Stitt included Coleman’s bill in his distaste for bills in the legislature. The OIGA told LSR there is no scheduled meeting between the Thunder and the tribes. An agreement on the plan is necessary for its success.
Coleman’s proposal would give online sports betting control in Oklahoma to the Thunder, while allowing the tribes to do so on tribal land.
Lawmakers pulled the bill from the House Appropriations and Budget Committee agenda on Monday.
