The Oklahoma Senate does not advance sports betting bill

Despite being passed by the House, House Bill 1027, which pertains to sports betting, fails to advance in the Oklahoma Senate as further discussions with tribal representatives are sought by the Senate.

Oklahoma’s House Bill 1027, sponsored by state representative Ken Luttrell, did not pass the Senate committee before the deadline, resulting in a delay of at least one year before the potential advancement of sports betting in the state.

For two consecutive years, Luttrell had introduced a bill advocating for the legalization of sports betting. He explained that HB 1027 did not progress because the Senate required further discussions between the tribes and the governor. The bill had received approval from the House with a 66-22 vote and would have permitted tribes with existing gaming compacts to conduct in-person and retail sports betting.

As of now, approximately 35 tribes in Oklahoma provide various forms of gambling. The proposed bill suggested that the Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission would regulate sports betting, subject to an agreement on a tribal-state compact. Under this bill, tribal operators would be required to pay a percentage of their gross gaming revenue as follows: 4% on the first $5 million of annual revenue, 5% on the subsequent $5 million of gross revenue, and 6% on revenue exceeding that amount.

The proposed bill outlined a distribution plan for the tax revenue generated from legal sports betting. Specifically, 12% of the taxes raised would have been allocated to the general revenue fund, while the remaining 88% would have been directed towards the Education Reform Revolving Fund. Luttrell estimated that the legalization of sports betting would contribute approximately $9 million annually to the state budget.