Oklahoma Sports Betting Battle: Thunder vs. Tribes

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Transcript

00:00Is this exclusivity that the Oklahoma City Thunder may have for betting in their arena?

00:06How did this come together, Pat?

00:08So Oklahoma is just one of the strangest states to cover in sports betting, I think.

00:14You know, the tribes have very, very heavy control over gaming, and they have a say in

00:20pretty much anything that happens related to that, even in the legislature, because

00:24of the tribal compacts that have been created.

00:27Now, we know back in 2020, Governor Kevin Stitt tried to legalize sports betting through

00:31two amended compacts, which then the state attorney general later ruled illegal.

00:37And because of that and some other things, the tribes and the governor have a terrible

00:42relationship, so much so that, you know, legislators have tried and have said that they want to

00:47take over the compact negotiations with the tribes.

00:52And so then now in the past couple of years, we've had multiple legislative efforts, including

00:57one in 2023 by Representative Ken Luttrell, who actually did it again this year.

01:02His online sports betting language did get through the House in 2023 and didn't move

01:07anywhere in the Senate.

01:10And basically what's happening is you've got multiple bills introduced.

01:14In the House, by Luttrell again, is a tribal exclusivity bill, which the tribes want.

01:19They want to control sports betting in the state.

01:22On the other side, you've got a Senate bill that gives, to your point, control to the

01:27Oklahoma City Thunder for online sports betting.

01:29The tribes, of course, can operate on tribal land and have control over that.

01:36So now you've got these two bills that have crossed over in the chambers, and we're going

01:39to see what happens.

01:40Now, you throw the wrench in here of Governor Stitt, who has said he will veto any bill

01:46that includes tribal exclusivity.

01:48So that basically says the House bill is not going to go well.

01:52And he also said he didn't like any bill moving through the chamber.

01:54So even though the Thunder would have control, that he would probably veto that bill as well.

02:00Now, the chambers could overturn that with two-thirds votes and see what happens there.

02:06But Stitt has also put out a plan that has some support in the legislature that would

02:10open it up fully commercial to allow the state to give out licenses.

02:15So again, you've got two bills.

02:17They've crossed over the chambers.

02:18Now we're going to see what happens from there.

02:20But yeah, you've got one that gives the Thunder a license, and that's where the sports betting

02:24would come from.

02:25And then you've got one that would give the tribes and the state exclusivity.

02:28So any number of ways this could work out, I'm not holding my breath, though, just because

02:33of those tense relationships between the governor and the tribes.

02:38It's a back and forth that doesn't really have an end in sight, at least until Stitt

02:42is out of office.