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SportsTranscript
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.