Oklahoma

While the interest in sports betting and the effort to get a bill passed have certainly been present in Oklahoma, the Sooner State has not been able to get over the hump. Increased efforts to get a bill passed are expected in 2024, but disagreements between the state and the local gaming tribes remain at the forefront of issues.

While they aren’t necessarily regulated, daily fantasy sports apps are able to operate legally in Oklahoma, which at least gives residents something close to sports betting. Available DFS apps in the state include PrizePicks, Sleeper, Underdog, and more.

One of the biggest gambling-related markets that is legal in the Sooner State is horse racing. As of right now, there are three horse racing tracks in OK, all three of which have simulcast betting available as well.

Online sports betting in The Sooner State

Oklahoma’s pursuit of legalized sports betting has been a rollercoaster ride that is currently broken down on the tracks. Governor Kevin Stitt has been at the forefront of trying to get sports betting legalized, but in turn, he’s been subject to multiple lawsuits. Back in 2019, Stitt ran into a disagreement with the state’s gaming tribes about their gaming compacts and whether or not they would automatically renew.

As a result, 12 of the tribes that thought their contracts would renew ended up filing a federal lawsuit. Stitt would eventually attempt to negotiate new compacts with a few gaming tribes and even said that sports betting could be a part of those compacts. However, the tribes would turn this proposal down.

The following year, in 2020, Stitt would actually reach an agreement on gaming compacts with the Otoe-Missouria Tribe and Comanche Nation, which would allow for sports betting to be legal on tribal land. Oklahoma residents did not have a lot of time to rejoice, though, as the state’s Attorney General explained why Stitt could not make this deal, and as a result, Stitt was sued again, this time by the House Speaker and Senate President Pro Tempore.

It turns out that Stitt could only allow tribes to offer gambling-related games that are featured in Oklahoma’s Tribal Gaming Act. Stitt would not slow down his pursuit of sports betting in 2023 either, as he developed a new sports betting plan, this time allowing tribal casinos to offer retail sportsbooks but have no involvement in mobile betting, which again did not go over well.

Sen. Casey Murdock introduced a new sports betting bill, SB 1434, in 2024. The bill would essentially implement Gov. Kevin Stitt’s plan from November. As of now, the bill has been sent to the state’s Appropriation Committee.

Sports betting & gambling legislation in OK

Some states still waiting on legalized sports betting continually see no effort from the state government to get a bill passed, but that is not the case in Oklahoma. Just in 2023 alone, there was a consistent effort to get a bill passed, but there is always at least one obstacle standing in the way, if not more.

At the start of 2023, Rep. Ken Luttrell introduced House Bill HB1027 to legalize sports betting in Oklahoma. This was Luttrell's second attempt after a previous bill in February 2022 didn't progress. The House Committee on Appropriations and Budget quickly approved House Bill 1027, which advanced it to the next step. The House of Representatives then voted in favor of House Bill 1027 with 66 votes for and 26 against.

The bill then went to the Senate, but it failed to pass the Senate Committee, so it became another sports betting bill that fell by the wayside. Not only do residents have to watch as bills continue to come and go, with each one varying the rules regarding the gaming tribe's involvement in sports betting, but they can’t even access other gambling markets like iGaming, as that too remains illegal in the state.

Most recent updates from the OK sports betting scene

• April 29, 2024: After sweeping the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round of the playoffs, the OKC Thunder are currently (+300) to win the Western Conference and (+850) to win the NBA Finals.

• April 28, 2024: Oklahoma City Thunder Head Coach Mark Daigneault has won the 2023-24 Coach of the Year award. He was (+700) to win the award before the season started.

• February 5, 2024: A new year has brought about a new sports betting bill as SB 1434 was introduced by Sen. Casey Murdock. The bill would essentially try to implement Gov. Kevin Stitt’s plan from November. As of right now, the bill has been sent to the state’s Appropriation Committee.

• November 30, 2023: Tribal gaming leaders in Oklahoma, joined by tribal leaders nationwide, urge Governor Kevin Stitt to back tribal-led sports betting initiatives. This request arises as Oklahoma faces challenges such as declining oil prices and potential competition from Texas in the gaming industry.

• November 3, 2023: Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt presents a statewide sports betting expansion plan. The proposal allows in-person betting through Tribal operators and mobile betting via licensed operators throughout Oklahoma. Mobile wagering would be subject to a 20% tax rate, enabling statewide access to mobile betting services.

• April 18, 2023: The Oklahoma Sports Betting Proposal (House Bill 1027) fails to pass the Senate Committee, delaying the legalization of sports betting in the state until the next legislative session begins in February of the following year.

In-person sports betting sites and locations

One could argue that Oklahoma could have one of the country's better retail sports betting scenes if they legalized sports betting. No state has more tribal casinos than OK, as there are currently 143 in operation, so if the state could come to an agreement with the tribes operating these casinos, the retail betting possibilities would be limitless.

Of course, not all of these locations would have a sportsbook, but that would still leave plenty of locations for retail sports wagering to be offered, whether they be run by an online operator partnership or by the casino itself.

Sports betting in neighboring states

Oklahoma’s surrounding states are a mixed bag regarding whether or not sports betting is legal. Of the six states that border OK, three offer some form of legal sports betting, while the other three have also been unable to get a sports betting bill passed for some reason or another.

You can click on the states with legal sports betting below to learn more about what they offer or why the other three states remain unable to pass a bill.

What’s next for OK betting apps?

The divide between the state government and the local tribes has been the biggest obstacle to passing a betting bill. Despite multiple efforts in 2023 to get a bill agreed upon by both sides, that agreement never came, and it seems that heading into 2024, Gov. Kevin Stitt still cannot figure out a way to merge the two sides.

If a deal can ever get done, the state should have an influx of online operators chomping at the bit to join the market. With plenty of retail locations already in existence, the potential to partner with one would likely appeal to DraftKings, FanDuel, or any well-known operator.

Potential sports betting revenue impact on Oklahoma's economy

With sports betting still illegal in Oklahoma, we have no gambling-related data to go over in our revenue tracker. The one thing we do know is that the Sooner State certainly does have a lot of earning potential. Since Oklahoma has well over 100 tribal casinos throughout the state, if the OK legislators could broker an agreement with the local tribes, their market would instantly be able to bring in significant money just off the volume of betting options alone.

One of the biggest problems with delaying the legalization of sports betting is that the state is losing money to neighboring states that offer it. Three of Oklahoma’s surrounding states offer vast gambling markets, allowing those states to receive a large sum of tax income every month. For example, Colorado has made over $67 million in tax revenue since legalizing sports betting, and it’s safe to say some of that revenue has come from Oklahoma bettors who crossed the border to place wagers.

Oklahoma also has a larger population than its neighboring state, Kansas. In December 2023 alone, Kansas reported over $255 million in handle and over $30 million in revenue. While Connecticut is not a neighboring state to OK, it has a comparable population. Again, their numbers should have all parties involved working even harder to close a deal, as Connecticut has seen over $4 billion in handle since October 2021.