Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes ofwebsite accessibility'I realized money's going out of the state of Oklahoma': Lawmaker signs onto HB 1027 | KTUL
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'I realized money's going out of the state of Oklahoma': Lawmaker signs onto HB 1027

by TOM FERGUSON

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FILE - In this Aug. 1, 2018, file photo, a board at Harrah's casino in Atlantic City, N.J. lists the odds on pro football games in the first week of the NFL season. The NFL has been remarkably free of betting scandals as it celebrates its 100th season, despite a few hiccups in earlier days. Whether through good fortune, extreme vigilance or even the help of legal bookies in Las Vegas, there hasn’t been a legitimate documented attempt to fix an NFL game in the modern era. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry, File)
FILE - In this Aug. 1, 2018, file photo, a board at Harrah's casino in Atlantic City, N.J. lists the odds on pro football games in the first week of the NFL season. The NFL has been remarkably free of betting scandals as it celebrates its 100th season, despite a few hiccups in earlier days. Whether through good fortune, extreme vigilance or even the help of legal bookies in Las Vegas, there hasn’t been a legitimate documented attempt to fix an NFL game in the modern era. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry, File)
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OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (KOKH) — State Sen. Bill Coleman (R-Ponca City) has signed onto HB 1027 as its senate sponsor. The bill would legalize sports betting in Oklahoma.

State Rep. Ken Luttrell (R-Ponca City) originally filed the legislation.

Should HB 1027 pass, casinos under the mode tribal gaming compact could bring sports betting to their operations.

Sen. Coleman shared with Fox 25 that his own personal experience led him to support the measure.

According to him, "I drove one hour and two minutes to the Kansas Star Casino and placed a couple of bets on the NFC and AFC championship games. It was that point I realized money's going out of the state of Oklahoma and going into Kansas."

According to the state senator, legalized sports betting could create 3,000 jobs — and bring in an additional $240 million in tax revenue.

Robert Linnehan, a sports betting industry regulation expert and editor at XLMedia, explained that, "Supporters of the bill would tell you that sports betting is going on right now in Oklahoma whether people like it or not. Either in the unregulated illegal market or even if you just go across the border."

In his view — given the availability of casinos in the state — adding sports betting would be a logical next step.

"By legalizing it, you're at least regulating it. You're giving people safeguards that may have gambling problems. You're giving them tools to address their addictions by funneling money into programs they otherwise wouldn't have access to," asserted Linnehan.

When asked if he was planning on heading back up to Kansas to bet on the Super Bowl on Sunday, Sen. Coleman replied, "No I'm tired. This is our first week of session. So, so I'll just watch that from afar."

The Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association was unable to immediately provide comment on the proposed legislation.

To read Fox 25's previous reporting on the legislation, click here.

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