An Oklahoma sports betting bill that would put tribes in charge under legalization passed through the state House Tuesday and is headed for Senate consideration.
The legislative action was one of many across the country during a week when the Missouri House sent a digital sports betting bill to the Senate, a North Carolina bill began quickly working its way through the House, and a Texas committee spent nearly a full day discussing what legal wagering could look like'in that state.
Oklahoma borders Texas and is already home to casino tribal gaming, including the well-known WinStar Casino, which is owned by the Chickasaw Nation and has a partnership with the Dallas Cowboys. Among Oklahoma’s six border states, Arkansas, Colorado, and Kansas'all offer digital wagering.
HB 1027 would allow for retail and digital sports betting in Oklahoma, while requiring the tribes to share revenue with the state on a sliding scale from 4-6% of revenue, depending on how much money a sportsbook takes in each month. The bulk of the tax dollars would be earmarked for educational initiatives.