Oklahomans may get to vote to legalize sports betting after years of failed attempts to get it through the state Legislature.
A Senate panel on Thursday passed two sports betting bills, including one that potentially sets the stage for a public vote.
The panel’s decision marked the first time sports betting legislation has advanced out of a Senate committee, said Sen. Bill Coleman, R-Ponca City, the measures’ Senate author.
House Bill 1047 would allow tribes the ability to exclusively offer sports betting with a 10% fee to the state.
It would require a supplement to the Model Tribal Gaming Compact which gives tribes the exclusive right to offer gaming.
Through the compacts, the state receives exclusivity fees in exchange for giving tribes the sole right to conduct certain types of Class III gaming, including slots, roulette and craps.
Coleman said the measure could bring in $14 million to $142 million to the state.
In Kansas, sports betting last year brought in $165 million in revenue, he said. Kansas Lottery records show the state received about 10% of the total.
The measure passed the Senate Business and Commerce Committee by a vote of 8-1.
A companion measure, House Bill 1101, also passed by a vote of 6-3.
If the first fails or is vetoed by Gov. Kevin Stitt, then House Bill 1101 would send the issue to a vote of the people, Coleman said.
Stitt has said he would not support a sports betting bill that gives exclusivity to the tribes and indicated he would veto any measures.
“This procedure was used in 2003 when members did not want to take a vote on the lottery,” Coleman said.
The Oklahoma Legislature in 2003 put two state questions on the ballot, 707 and 706, to create the lottery. Both passed.
The Oklahoma Lottery began selling tickets in 2005.
It has contributed more than $1.3 billion to education.
House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, said he is not a big fan of gambling, but Oklahomans are already engaging in sports betting.
“And since it is happening anyway, we should figure out a way to put out the regulatory framework and do it in a way that makes sense, working with our tribal partners,” Hilbert said.
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