Although the chances are remote that Oklahoma will pass sports betting legislation this year, it won’t be for a lack of trying, as Republican State Senator Casey Murdock has filed Senate Bill 164 to do just that.
Border Wars
Despite Oklahoma boasting 143 casinos, mobile and retail sports betting has yet to gain traction as the governor’s office and the tribal gaming communities have yet to see eye-to-eye. The major issue preventing sports betting in the Sooner State is Governor Stitt’s insistence that it be open to commercial entities, but the tribe jealously guards its gaming exclusivity in the state.
Many believe the tribes will not sign off on any change in the gaming compact while the current administration is in office. However, that has not stopped Republican Senators Casey Murdock and Dave Rader from taking another bite at the legislative apple.
Both senators have filed their own sports betting bills, and they point to the fact that Oklahoma will soon be bordering five states that have legalized mobile sports betting once Missouri launches this year. The senators point out that money being gambled by Oklahomans is going into the pockets of those neighboring states when it could remain in Oklahoma if sports betting legislation was passed.
“I went to a conference last summer on sports betting, and a company that does the geo-fencing was explaining how all that works. And they showed me the map of Oklahoma, and people on I-35 headed to Kansas trying to place bets. Every time they placed bets while still in Oklahoma, it’d pop up red. So, you saw all these red dots going up I-35, and as soon as they got into Kansas, you saw massive amounts of green dots,” said Senator Murdock.
Long Shot Worth Taking
A recent statement by the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association (OIGA) insisted it is open to negotiations on the topic of sports betting, but it must protect its gaming exclusivity, which means the compact cannot be changed.
The OIGA statement read, “When the First Session of the 60th Legislature begins on Feb. 3, 2025, Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association (OIGA) will, as always, monitor the progress of any bills whose proposed actions pertain to tribal gaming on behalf of our Tribal Nation members. In order not to breach the current state-tribal gaming compacts, any bill purporting to change gaming offerings available in Oklahoma would require a supplemental offer from the State to modify the existing gaming compact between Tribal Nations and the State, and each tribal leader would evaluate the bill on its own merits. Any proposed new or modified gaming offering must make sound economic sense for everyone involved. Tribal Nations have always been willing to sit down and talk, in a respectful manner, about what is best for Oklahoma. That has not changed.”
Senator Rader, a former quarterback for the University of Tulsa in the late 70s, spoke about his bill, offering the following: “I think it gives us a chance to strengthen our communication and our partnership with the tribes. I think it’s a win-win-win. I think it’s a win for the tribes, I think it’s a win for the state, think it’s a win for our taxpayers.”
All of that may be true, but many industry insiders believe mobile and retail sports betting won’t have a chance until 2027, when a new regime takes command of the state’s executive branch, as Governor Stitt cannot seek re-election to a third term in office due to the state’s term limits.
