Oklahoma sports betting bill clears final hurdle and now faces plenum vote
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Oklahoma Appropriations and Budget Committee Votes 28-3 to Pass HB 3008
A bill to legalize sports betting in Oklahoma progressed through its legislative journey to become law after the state Appropriations and Budget Committee voted 28 to 3 to pass HB 3008, giving it the green light to be debated and voted on by the full Floor of the house.
The sponsor of this bill, Rep. Ken Luttrell, believes that a legal, regulated, and taxed sports betting market would benefit Oklahoma residents on at least three levels, making this question a no-brainer.
As is the case in other states, a legal sports betting market could provide Oklahoma State with a new source of tax revenue, create well-paying jobs, and prevent Sooner State bettors from having to bet and spend the money from their bets. of state.
The bill would allow in-person-only sports betting with a mobile option that is not on the table this go-around, but it needs to get out of the House first.
HB 3008 is now being debated and voted on in the Full House before facing the State Senate
With this final green light from the House committee, HB 3008 moves to full chamber debate as the Oklahoma House of Representatives will now argue before voting to send it to the state Senate, which is not obvious when we consider the anti-history of the state. playing position.
Oklahoma lawmakers are also facing a reality that other state leaders have also faced, which is that many of their residents like to place bets on the games they watch, but they use wagers offshore sportsmen, illicit bookmakers or travel to neighboring states to do it.
New Mexico, Colorado and Arkansas have joined over thirty other states that have already created their own legal sports betting market, so Oklahoma can continue to fight this or join in and start benefit financially from the money that is currently going elsewhere.
However, there are a few parts of HB 3008 that some state casino operators don’t like.
Some Oklahoma Tribal Casino Operators Pushed Back HB 3008
As anxious as tribal casino operators are to add sports betting to their wide array of gambling offerings, some indigenous industry leaders are pushing back parts of HB 3008, with Matthew Morgan, the chairman of the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association, telling the press:
“Almost the entire association is very interested in sports betting. But we have people who are very interested in the mobile aspect of sports betting, which Rep. Luttrell’s bill doesn’t address.
The ease of mobile sports betting generally leads to an increase in overall management and markets that have tried to exist without an online option tend to realize how essential it is to a state’s gaming results.
Another argument Morgan makes with HB 3008 is the 10% share of revenue it details, a figure that could be considered too high, according to the media:
We also have concerns from our members about what [the] cost sharing would look like given the low margin of sports betting. I think they would like to see that reworked in a way that would make them more likely to support something that way.
Chances are more compromises will be made as this bill continues its way through both legislative chambers to Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt’s office for a signature, so check back for all the latest news and updates on this ongoing story.