Oklahoma Sports Betting Feels Closer Than Ever

The latest failed attempt to legalize Oklahoma sports betting has not dampened optimism among many of the state’s supporters. In fact, it is just the opposite.

Certain lawmakers see the 2025 efforts to legalize sports betting in Oklahoma as a step in the right direction. Sure, many of the challenges facing The Sooner State remain the same. But repeated attempts at legislation, combined with the progress made ostensibly year-over-year, has many believing that an agreement could be right around the corner.

Granted, “right around the corner” can refer to any number of timelines. Does it mean we should expect an Oklahoma sports betting agreement in 2026? By 2027? Or later down the line? That much remains to be seen. But there is apparently evidence the green light could come sooner rather than later.

The Push to Legalize Oklahoma Sports Betting Just Made It Further Than Ever Before

Most of the lingering optimism is borne from the momentum generated during the latest round of sports betting discussions. As Pat Evans of Legal Sports Betting points out, the most recent bill, HB 1047, garnered more support than any of its predecessors:

“While [Governor Kevin] Stitt was adamant in his position to veto any sports betting bill, Rep. Ken Luttrell’s proposals made it the furthest any sports betting bills have in Oklahoma. The bill, informed by the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association, passed the House and made it to the Senate floor. Luttrell’s HB 1047 would have legalized sports betting framework. If Stitt vetoed that, his HB 1101 would have sent the issue to voters. However, the Senate ultimately did not take a floor vote on either piece of legislation. The plan to send the issue to voters mirrored the 2003 move to create a state lottery.”

Getting an Oklahoma sports betting proposal past the House of Representatives is a HUGE deal in this case. It speaks to the level of increasing support around the issue.

This also seems to align with an increasingly common sentiment. Plenty of policymakers lament how much money The Sooner State is leaving on the table by failing to capitalize on the rise of sports betting in the United States. Their pro-legalization stance is a common one. It is rooted in the belief that sports betting in Oklahoma continues to take place despite the current laws.

While this argument is not foolproof, it is spot-on. Whether it’s crossing state lines to bet on sports in Kansas, bet on sports in Colorado or bet on sports in New Mexico, Oklahomans are surrounded by places if they’re willing to travel a little bit. For the people who aren’t, you can rest assured they are visiting offshore betting sites.

Oklahoma’s Latest Sports Betting Bill Also Received Collaborative Support from Tribes

Even more critical than mushrooming support among policymakers is the collaboration Representative Luttrell’s Oklahoma sports betting initiative received from tribal nations. Most are in agreement that not only their cooperation, but their active involvement is pivotal to any agreement. And they are almost assuredly correct.

With dozens of federally recognized tribal nations, Oklahoma is influenced more by their gaming compacts than any other state, with California being the lone exception. Past attempts to legalize sports betting in The Sooner State have completely glossed over this fact. Heck, even one of the measures from this year didn’t feature any collaboration with tribal nations.

Pretty much all of these efforts are spearheaded by Governor Stitt. He seems bent on Oklahoma online sports betting being legalized as part of a more open-ended market. Tribal nations, meanwhile, insist their gaming compact grants them exclusivity over all gambling operations—including the future of sports betting.

For the most part, it feels like the majority of policymakers agree with tribal nations. But Stitt has enough influence over and supporters within the Senate that deviating from his desired model is so far a non-starter.

Many now believe Oklahoma sports betting will continue to go nowhere so long as Stitt and tribal nations are at odds. Those same people generally think reconciliation is unlikely, and that any legislation will have to wait until he’s out of office, in 2027.

Could Sports Betting in The Sooner State Get Over the Hump Before Stitt Leaves Office?

This question is more tantalizing following HB 1047’s advancement through the House of Representatives. That progress suggests Oklahoma sports betting really is just one compromise away.

For what it’s worth, tribal nations seem unlikely to embrace a legalization model that allows commercial online sportsbooks to enter the market. But they could perhaps be persuaded by what’s known as the “hub-and-spoke” model.

This setup effectively grants sports betting exclusivity to tribal nations while calling for partnerships with commercial retailers. Sports betting in Florida is the most popular example. The Seminole Tribe has sports betting exclusivity, but Hard Rock Bet partners with them to run their Florida online sports betting app. Rather than operate independently, Hard Rocket Bet receives a share of the revenue.

Similar models have been opposed by online sportsbooks in the United States in the past. However, the hub-and-spoke method allows for a broader reach. Most states with tribal-only sports betting only permit gambling on-site. The hub-and-spoke arrangement stipulates that sports betting apps are an extension of tribal properties, so long as the servers operating them are located on tribal land.

This is the closest Oklahoma sports betting comes to a best-of-both-worlds solution. To our knowledge, though, it has yet to be extensively discussed. But if that changes in 2026, the status of sports betting in Oklahoma might, too.

Take a look at this list of the top online sportsbooks so you can find one that works for all of your sports betting needs: