I’m proud to say that one of my committees has put the wheels in motion for Oklahoma to legalize sports betting. The Senate Business and Insurance Committee easily passed three sports betting bills this week. While this is an important first step in the legislative process, I firmly believe that by moving forward on the policy front, we’re forcing stakeholders to work together on this issue. Representatives from the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association and the Oklahoma City Thunder have a meeting set for this coming week to discuss sports betting, which is a major development.An amended version of my Senate Bill 585 was among the bills that passed. The latest version of this bill presents what I think could be the best model for a sports gaming framework because it allows Oklahoma’s Native American tribes and the Oklahoma City Thunder to offer mobile and in-person sports betting. Under this legislation, the tribes could have in-person sportsbooks at their casinos and offer mobile betting, in which people can place bets from their phones, within tribal boundaries. The Oklahoma City Thunder, on the other hand, would take the lead on mobile sports betting on non-tribal lands and could offer on-site betting at the Paycom Center. I think this is an all-around win because tribal partners and the Thunder would both get a cut of gaming revenue. The state would also receive a portion of gaming revenue, estimated to be at least $20 million a year.Sports gaming is a growing industry that’s creating new jobs and funding for 39 other states. I hope all parties continue to work together to find a viable solution here in Oklahoma.The Business and Insurance Committee also passed a bill of mine that is a request from medical marijuana business owners. If passed, Senate Bill 774 would require a unique barcode on the back of medical marijuana patient cards. Currently, dispensary employees must type in a 30-digit number to verify each patient. Creating a scannable barcode would simplify the process.I also advanced the Protection from Domestic Abuse Act out of the Senate Judiciary Committee. This important bill speeds up the timeline for law enforcement entities to serve emergency protective orders. This bill requires a server to make a first attempt within 24 hours of when a judge approves a protective order. This also allows that server to serve someone who is locked up in a county jail. I’m ...
