OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — A State Senate committee gave approval to a plan that bypasses Governor Kevin Stitt in an effort to legalize sports betting in Oklahoma.

Some republicans were clearly not on board with a plan that goes against a governor who is in the same party as they are.

The plan says if Governor Stitt doesn’t support legalizing sports betting, it will be up to voters at the ballot box to get it done in the near future.

“If this fails on the floor or is vetoed by the governor, it automatically goes to a vote of the people,” said Ponca City Republican Senator Bill Coleman.

Coleman presented a two-part plan before the Senate Business and Insurance Committee on Thursday.

According to the plan, if Governor Stitt doesn’t approve a bill to expand sports betting in a way similar to how the state did with dice and table games in 2018, then a second bill would kick in that would allow the people of Oklahoma to decide on legalization once and for all in a statewide vote.

The last time such a plan was put in place to legalize something was more than two decades ago with the lottery.

“The procedure was last used in 2003 when members did not want to take a vote on the lottery,” Coleman said.

Coleman said the state is projected to earn tens of millions of dollars in revenue from legalized sports betting, and he himself went to Kansas to place his bets on March Madness.

He said that’s something Oklahomans should be able to do without crossing state lines.

“There was a guy sitting behind me,” Coleman said. “It was Houston and Sisters of the Poor or whoever they were playing. A one seed verses a sixteen seed, and the sixteen seed got the tipoff and scored. The guy behind me went nuts screaming and everything. We said, ‘What’s going on?’ He said, ‘I bet a dollar that team would score first. Now I get $25.’”

Governor Stitt has already threatened to veto the bill, saying it’s a cash windfall for the tribes. However, the tribes have exclusive gaming rights in the state.

Stitt said he’ll support a plan that opens up betting operations to everyone.

“The tribes have come in and said run this bill that benefits us,” Governor Stitt said. “That’s not who I am as Governor. I’ll absolutely veto that.”