An Oklahoma House subcommittee this week advanced two bills that aim to bring legal online sports betting to the state.
Rep. Ken Luttrell’s HB 1047 and HB 1101 were both passed by a 5-0 vote in an Appropriations and Budget Select Agencies Subcommittee on Monday and will now go before the House Appropriations and Budget Committee.
HB 1047 would authorize sports betting by tethering sportsbook operators to Native American tribes that have entered into gaming compacts with the state. The initial version proposed a 10% tax rate for tribes offering sports betting.
HB 1101 lays the groundwork for a voter referendum if HB 1047 does not pass, effectively providing a backup option for sports betting legalization if the legislation cannot get over the lines in both chambers of the state legislature.
Tribal consent is key
Previous efforts to move sports betting legislation in Oklahoma have fallen short.
The Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association (OIGA) has stressed in the past that any expansion of sports betting must be in the best interests of tribal nations.
“In order not to breach the current state-tribal gaming compacts, any bill purporting to change gaming offerings available in Oklahoma would require a supplemental offer from the state to modify the existing gaming compact between tribal nations and the state, and each tribal leader would evaluate the bill on its own merits,” said OIGA Chairman Matthew L. Morgan in a public statement prior to the start of the 2025 legislative session.
“Any proposed new or modified gaming offering must make sound economic sense for everyone involved. Tribal Nations have always been willing to sit down and talk, in a respectful manner, about what is best for Oklahoma. That has not changed.”
Luttrell said he has met with the tribes and OIGA and taken suggestions on board in an effort to ensure his proposal works for all parties.
Gov. Stitt could be sticking point
Both of Luttrell’s bills must now be passed by the full committee, the full House and then head to the Senate for a similar process if they are to become reality. It’s a long path to fruition, particularly given that Gov. Kevin Stitt could elect to veto the bills himself.
Stitt’s own plan for regulated sports betting last year received a frosty reception from tribes, who said they were not consulted on the proposal. Stitt does not advocate for tribal exclusivity, but the nations themselves say that pitting them directly against commercial sportsbooks is a no-go.
There is already a sports betting proposal in the Oklahoma legislature this session. Sen. Dave Rader’s SB 125 is similar to HB 1047 in that it would require the consent of at least four state tribes to amend the state’s Model Tribal Gaming Compact to allow tribes to offer retail and online sport betting.
Rader’s bill, which has been referred to committee but is yet to be discussed, would tax sports betting at 5% of the first $5 million of annual net revenue, 6% of the next $5 million in revenue and 7% of any revenue above $10 million.
