A pair of sports betting bills that had gained traction after passage through the Oklahoma House of Representatives with bipartisan support have failed to escape the Senate and will put mobile sports betting in the Sooner State on the shelf for at least another year.
Time’s Up
May 8th was the deadline for the Senate to hear a pair of sports betting bills sponsored by Representative Ken Luttrell. House Bill 1047 was the primary bill that would have established a legal framework for sports betting in Oklahoma. Luttrell’s House Bill 1101 was the insurance policy that included a voter referendum if its companion bill was vetoed by the governor.
However, sensing the uncertainty the bills faced in the upper chamber, Senate Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton was approached and stated, “We were trying to find a path forward and move forward with this, and he came to me and said it would probably be better if we studied this over the summer and put it in an interim study.”
Coleman Seeks Path Forward
It is not as though sports betting measures don’t have support in the Senate; it appears there is just not enough of it to get it passed during this session. Senator Bill Coleman is one who believes there remains an opportunity to bring mobile sports betting to Oklahoma.
“The biggest challenge I have noticed through this process has been a lack of communication—no one is sitting down and talking through this,” said Senator Coleman. “That’s why I’m seriously considering hosting an interim study this summer to bring all stakeholders to the table.”
Coleman sponsored his own sports betting bill, SB 585, also known as the “Thunder Bill,” that would have given the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder a license to sublicense wagering rights to a tribal-approved operator. The bill narrowly passed a second vote in the Senate, but a perceived lack of support in the House for the only sports betting bill that included a non-tribal entity was ultimately withdrawn.
Senator Coleman has been a longtime proponent of sports betting, stating, “I’ve been working on sports betting for years and truly believe Oklahoma is missing out on a significant opportunity—both economically and in terms of consumer protection.”
Tribal Concerns
The biggest obstacle to bringing sports betting to the Sooner State is an impasse between Governor Kevin Stitt, who believes the state lottery, horse tracks and other private parties should be able to participate in the sports betting industry, exclusive of the tribes.
“None of the bills that have moved off the floors of the House or Senate have gotten my input on them. As a matter of fact, they’ve excluded the governor of the state of Oklahoma from these discussions,” Stitt said previously. “When they say that all stakeholders have come to the table and agreed on something, the taxpayers that are represented by the Oklahoma Governor have not weighed in on those things.”
However, the gaming tribes have been demanding sports betting exclusivity and have patiently waited for the right piece of legislation to come along. It appeared as though Representative Luttrell’s bills satisfied several of their requirements, which is why many believed the chances were good for sports betting passage this year.
Governor Stitt will not run for reelection next year due to term limits, and it may be that sports betting will only be possible with cooperation from the state’s gaming tribes once he leaves office.
