Oklahoma Rep Taking Another Crack at Sports Betting

• An Oklahoma House Bill has been pre-filed to allow gaming compacts to legalize online and retail sports betting
• Rep. Ken Luttrell (R-37) pre-filed the bill
• Luttrell previously introduced a similar sports betting bill for the 2022 legislative session

Oklahoma sports betting is getting another shot in 2023.

Rep. Ken Luttrell (R-37) pre-filed a bill for Oklahoma’s upcoming legislative session to allow state tribes to amend their gaming compacts to offer retail and/or online sports betting. Luttrell filed a similar bill in the 2022 legislative session, but the bill never received a vote on the House floor.

One ace up his sleeve that could make it a reality this year? Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) has said he’s open to legalizing sports betting in the New Year.

New Fee System for Sports Betting

Luttrell’s bill, HB 1027, is very similar to one he introduced in 2022, which also allowed state tribes to amend their gaming compacts to offer sports betting. Luttrell’s previous fee included a flat 10% monthly fee of adjusted gross gaming revenue tribes were required to pay to the state.

Luttrell’s current bill includes a monthly sliding scale that would require state tribes to pay a higher fee as the month goes on depending on each of the tribe’s net win.

Here is the fee scale he is proposing:

• 4% of the first $5 million of monthly net win received by a tribe
• 5% of the next $5 million of adjusted gross revenues received by a tribe
• 6% of all subsequent adjusted gross revenues received by a tribe

Here is the sliding scale fee system Oklahoma tribes would have to pay to the state if the bill is approved: pic.twitter.com/nBIZh0N3gC

— RLinnehanXL (@RLinnehanXl) January 3, 2023

The fee percentages would reset at the beginning of each month.

Luttrell’s bill is scheduled to be introduced on Feb. 6.

Gov. Stitt Open to Legalizing Sports Betting

Luttrell has a heavy hitter in his corner in favor of sports betting, as Gov. Stitt has publicly thrown his support behind its potential.

According to Fox 23 News, Stitt he is open to signing legislation to legalize sports betting in Oklahoma if “we do it the right way and responsibly.”

“We’ve been behind the scenes looking into how we can do that in Oklahoma,” Stitt said in the interview. “We already have casino gambling in Oklahoma. We just need to make sure we do it the right way and responsibly. We need to make sure we have audit capabilities, and we get a fair deal for Oklahoma. It’s something I’d love to see us work on.”

Stitt reiterated in the interview that if sports betting is “100% fair and transparent to Oklahomans,” then he will be open to signing the legislation.