Lawmakers advance bills on tribal sports betting, women’s sports rebate

Two bills advancing in the Oklahoma Senate could expand tribal sports betting and provide financial incentives for women’s professional sports teams.

Senate Bill 125: Tribal Sports Betting

SB 125 would allow Oklahoma tribes with gambling compacts to offer in-person and mobile sports betting. However, the expansion would only take effect if permitted under federal law. The bill also requires tribes to sign a supplemental agreement with the state.

Sen. Dave Rader, the bill’s author, described SB 125 as a “vehicle” that could facilitate an agreement between the state and tribes on sports betting.

“I have constituent after constituent continuing to ask for this,” Rader said. “This would be that vehicle that, if the executive branch and tribes can reach an agreement before the end of the session, we can write it the way we want, place it under the proper title in our laws, and discuss what we want to do with it.”

RELATED: Sports betting in Oklahoma: Three bills that could make it happen

Senate Bill 820: Women’s Sports Rebate

SB 820 expands the 2024 Oklahoma Five Major Sports Leagues Rebate Program Act to include the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), Women’s Professional Fastpitch (WPF), and the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). The rebate would only apply to teams with payrolls of at least $10 million.

Currently, no women’s professional sports teams in Oklahoma meet that threshold. However, Sen. Mary Boren (D-Norman) emphasized the importance of including women’s sports in state incentives.

“We need to be prepared for women’s sports making the kind of impact they are showing they’re going to make, and we want to make sure our laws reflect that opportunity,” Boren said. “It was just problematic to leave women out. If we’re committed to saving women’s sports, we need to make sure they are included in every incentive in our state.”

Both bills now head to the full Senate for consideration.