There are already casinos on tribal lands in Oklahoma. Whether or not those casinos can open sportsbooks is yet to be decided, but earlier this week, a bill that could make that possible was advanced through committee in the Oklahoma State House.
The committee voted 6-4 to advance the bill. Those opposed “wanted to see negotiations occur between the state and the tribes” on any new forms of gambling in the state, according to FOX 23.
The bill in the Oklahoma State House was authored by Ken Luttrell, a Republican representing Ponca City. He believes if legalized, sports gambling could create thousands of jobs in Oklahoma. He told FOX 23 that if a meeting between state lawmakers and tribal leaders needs to happen to make progress on that, he would be willing to make it happen.
“I would be happy to facilitate that, get everybody to the table and have some good open dialogue and discussion about this, it’s not a make or break for the tribal entities,” he said.
Currently, sports betting is legal in 30 states. If this bill were to pass, it would be for retail betting only. Luttrell did note that if retail betting were legalized, he believes it would only be a matter of time before online options were available in the state.
A spokesman for the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association says that he isn’t at liberty to discuss the concerns of individual members and tribes, but that Oklahoma’s Indian community has been very interested in the subject of sports gambling and the fate of this bill.
People need to learn how to count. There are over 30 states that now have legal sports betting. There are only 18 that have online operations. There’s a big difference between the two.