Oklahoma Sports Betting Bills Move Forward
Oklahoma lawmakers are making progress toward legalizing sports betting. HB 1047 and HB 1101 recently passed a House subcommittee on Appropriations and budget with unanimous approval. They will now head to the full Appropriations and Budgets Committee for further consideration.
HB 1047: A Tribal Partnership Model
HB 1047 aims to establish sports betting through partnerships with Native American tribes that have existing gaming compacts with the state. Initially, the bill proposed a 10% tax rate on tribal-operated sportsbooks.
However, past efforts to legalize sports betting in Oklahoma have failed due to concerns from tribal leaders. The Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association (OIGA) has emphasized that any expansion must benefit the tribes, and any modification to gaming agreements requires additional negotiations with the state.
HB 1101: A Backup Plan with a Public Vote
If HB 1047 fails, HB 1101 provides an alternative path to legalization. Under this bill, Oklahoma voters would decide the fate of sports betting through a statewide referendum.
This could allow sports betting to move forward even without immediate tribal agreement, though it may still require adjustments to gaming compacts.
As pointed out in the SBC Americas report, while the legislative progress is hard to deny, Governor Kevin Stitt remains a potential roadblock.
Stitt has previously opposed granting exclusive sports betting rights to tribal operators. In 2023, he proposed a model where tribes could operate retail sportsbooks, but commercial operators would control online betting.
However, this plan faced strong tribal opposition as it challenged their gaming sovereignty.
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