In a 6-4 vote, an Oklahoma House committee passed HB 3008, which would legalize sports betting at tribal casinos. The bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Ken Luttrell, said offering allowing sportsbooks at tribal casinos would create thousands of jobs and generate significant revenue for both the state and the tribes. The bill would allow tribes to opt in, but not every tribe supports the legislation.
Luttrell said, “I would be happy to facilitate that, get everybody to the table and have some good open dialogue and discussion about this. It’s not a make or break for the tribal entities.”
Luttrell noted Mississippi is making $1 million a month from sports betting revenue while Oklahomans will keep betting on sports elsewhere. He said, “Oklahomans are sending millions of their dollars down to the Caribbean in online sports betting. The state is making no income from that. No share from that. The tribes are not getting any share of that income.”
State Rep. Kevin West, among other lawmakers, said he’d prefer to see negotiations between the state and tribes before gambling expands. “If this passes, the state would get 10 percent. We’ve seen in other states where they’ve made agreements for up to 25 percent of the take, so I’m not necessarily saying we need more of take, but all entities need to be involved,” West said.
He added even if the state’s share of revenue is increased, he’d still vote against Luttrell’s bill. “But I would have a lot less heartburn over it if we took out the terms portion of it and made it to where it’s negotiated,” West said.
Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association Executive Director Matthew Morgan said he can’t divulge members’ concerns. “But I can tell you this, our members are very interested in the subject, they engage quite regularly within their own communities and their local representatives and state senators. Everybody is unique when it comes to their markets and what they would like to see,” Morgan said.
As written, Luttrell’s bill doesn’t include online sports betting. But he said if the measure passes, he’d quickly push for adding online betting.
Still, a major issue is that Governor Kevin Stitt would have to negotiate and sign an amended gaming compact with tribes before sports betting could be allowed. At the moment, the relationship between the governor and the tribes is shaky.
