Bid to legalise sports betting in Oklahoma takes another step forward

Sports betting in Oklahoma has taken one step closer to legalization, as a Senate panel approved two vital bills.

The issue is now getting closer to being put to a public vote, as the Senate Business and Commerce Committee passed House Bill 1047 (HB 1047) and House Bill 1101 (HB 1101) last week. This nod of approval has taken years to gain real traction in the state.

The first bill would allow Oklahoma tribes to provide sports betting exclusively, provided they pay a 10% fee to the state. As it stands, the tribes currently operate gambling activities under the Model Tribal Gaming Compact, which gives them the rights for select options, including slot machines, roulette, and craps, in return for exclusivity fees paid to the state.

The bill passed with eight in favor to just one against. Senator Bill Coleman sponsored both bills, using projections that sports betting could generate between $14 million and $142 million for the state every year, as reported by Next.io.

The second bill, which passed with a narrower margin of six to three, acts as a contingency plan if the first doesn’t pass, where the legalization of sports betting would be put on a statewide ballot.

Although the progress of the two bills in the Senate panel marks a strong milestone for sports betting advocates, there’s still a way to go before legalization is confirmed. Both must now get through the full Senate and possibly the House of Representatives, before needing approval of the governor or being put on a public voter ballot.

If the issue reached a public ballot, this would echo the same pattern that approved the Oklahoma state lottery more than two decades ago.

Sports betting is on the rise across the US, sparking concerns with gambling harm experts. That hasn’t stopped more and more regions from taking more steps to legalize gaming activities, including Hawaii.

Featured image: Wikimedia Commons,licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

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