Oklahoma Nearing Authorization of Sports Betting

(AsiaGameHub) –   Oklahoma legislators have declared that they are “closer than ever” to authorizing sports betting. The state is still among the minority in the US that does not provide either retail or internet betting options.

Sen. Bill Coleman and Rep. Ken Luttrell stated that they have secured a deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder and tribal leaders to advance legislation that had been stalled for a year.

“Today is a significant moment for Oklahoma,” Coleman remarked in a press statement. “We are nearer than ever before to making sports betting legal.”

Coleman and Luttrell have updated HB1047, a bill that passed the House with a 62-31 vote in March 2025. Although the bill hit a roadblock in the Senate, legislators anticipate a Senate vote on the measure within the next week.

“This updated bill results from thousands of hours of discussions spanning several years,” Coleman noted. He has been striving to legalize sports betting ever since the repeal of PASPA in 2018.

OKC Thunder and Tribes Support the Measure

The suggested amendment to HB 1047 would authorize retail and mobile sports betting via the state’s tribal entities. These tribes would subsequently collaborate with commercial operators, like FanDuel and DraftKings, to roll out online services.

Coleman and Luttrell indicated they negotiated the bill’s terms alongside the tribes and the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder has backed the sports betting initiative since the previous year.

Under the new amendment, revenue derived from bets on NBA and WNBA games would be directed into the Strong Readers Fund to aid early childhood literacy initiatives.

Tribes would retain the bulk of the revenue while remitting 8% of their earnings to the state.

“This deal honors our tribal allies and demonstrates teamwork with our NBA franchise to establish a lawful, transparent system capable of competing with the unregulated black market and dubious prediction markets,” Coleman stated.

“This has been a lengthy journey,” Luttrell continued. “We have dedicated years to ironing out the details, heeding our tribal partners, and cooperating with stakeholders such as the Oklahoma City Thunder to ensure this is done correctly.”

Oklahomans Are Already Placing Sports Bets

“Oklahomans are already wagering via alternative platforms or traveling across state lines to place legal bets,” Coleman remarked. “It is time for us to unite and support this proposal, which safeguards consumers and retains those funds within Oklahoma to aid our state.”

Neighboring Missouri started its sports betting market last year, and Wisconsin enacted legislation last month to permit online betting.

Oklahoma is currently among the 11 states lacking legal sports betting, yet the emergence of prediction markets has effectively enabled residents to engage in sports gambling.

“The current outcome mirrors that effort and offers Oklahoma the opportunity to finally bring this activity into a lawful, regulated framework,” Luttrell stated. “This entails keeping those funds locally, boosting our economy, shielding consumers, and funding essential services. We have completed the groundwork, and we are now ready to proceed with a plan that incorporates years of feedback and thoughtful deliberation.”

Governor May Veto the Bill

The Senate is now expected to vote on the amended bill, which must receive House approval once more because of the changes made.

Upon passage, Governor Kevin Stitt would need to sign the legislation into law. Nevertheless, it is not certain that the Governor will refrain from vetoing the measure.

Stitt has previously criticized a tribal-exclusive model for sports betting and has voiced general disapproval of expanding gambling within the state.

“It’s terrible,” Stitt commented during an interview last autumn. “If it were up to me, there would be no gambling at all. It is a travesty.”

Regarding the recent effort to legalize sports betting, a spokesperson for the Governor remarked, “Governor Stitt has made it clear that he will only back a free-market approach to sports betting in Oklahoma. Since no legislation has arrived at his desk yet, we will not discuss the details of pending bills.”