Oklahoma Senate Kills Revived Sports Betting Bill

• Members of the Oklahoma Senate defeated a revived retail and online sports betting bill in the Sooner State
• The Senate defeated Sen. Bill Coleman’s (R-10) bill, HB 1047, by a 21-27 vote
• The legislation allowed Oklahoma tribes to amend their gaming compacts to allow in-person and online sports betting on tribal lands only

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A newly revived Oklahoma sports betting bill has been buried by the Senate.

Members of the Oklahoma Senate defeated Sen. Bill Coleman’s (R-10) bill, HB 1047, to legalize retail and online sports betting for state tribes, by a 21-27 vote this afternoon. This came less than 24 hours after Coleman and Rep. Ken Luttrell (R-37) announced new support from key stakeholders for the House-approved amended bill.

The defeat is a massive setback for Oklahoma sports betting legalization hopes for 2026.

Sports Betting Happening Now in Oklahoma

Coleman gave an impassioned plea to his Senate colleagues to legalize sports betting for state tribes. Due to the proliferation of prediction market platforms, sports betting is happening right now in the Sooner State without any benefit for state tribes or state programs.

“The problem is it is here right now with prediction markets. it’s legal, you can legally make that bet in Oklahoma right now on this floor, and we don’t make a dime from it, and they don’t have any laws,” Coleman said.

The bill does not create a new avenue of gambling, he reported, as Oklahoma residents can currently make sports bets through prediction market platforms. The platforms are largely unregulated and Oklahoma receives no benefit from them.

The Oklahoma City Thunder, a supermajority of Oklahoma tribes members of the state’s Indian Gaming Association, and the state’s leading public universities supported Coleman’s legislation.

The legislation allows tribal casinos to open in-person, brick-and-mortar sportsbooks and allow for online sports betting on tribal land. The tribes could offer their own sports betting solutions or partner with an outside operator to allow for their own sports betting apps.

After the defeat, Coleman said he would push for a re-vote on the issue at a later date.

Problem Gambling Concerns

Several of Coleman’s Senate colleagues expressed concerns with the proliferation of Oklahoma gambling and the impact legalized sports betting would have on the state.

The legalization of Oklahoma sports betting will allow the state to profit from an institutionalized vice, Sen. Dusty Deevers (R-21), said during floor debate of the bill. The role of the government is to protect life and liberty, not normalize addition and pray on the weaknesses of its citizens.

“This disproportionately harms young men,” he said.

Sen. Brian Guthrie (R-25) reported to the Senate floor that sports betting is the “fastest growing addiction that is destroying young men in their 20s.”

Sports betting is a get rich quick scheme, he said, which Oklahoma should not support.

Defeated Sports Betting Bill Details

According to the amended legislation, tribes offering sports betting would be required to provide 8% of their adjusted transactional total of sports betting earnings to the state through exclusivity fees.

The legislation earmarks sports betting revenues for education in Oklahoma. Any revenues derived from bets placed on the NBA or WNBA would be deposited into Oklahoma’s Strong Readers Fund to support early childhood literacy programs. Non-NBA or WNBA sports betting revenues would be divided between a fund support higher education, student development programs, workforce initiatives, and a tourism-focused fund leveraging the Thunder’s global reach.

Additionally, a monthly deposit of funds will be required to the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, which will fund problem gambling treatment and education programs.

The House approved the sports betting bill in March 2025 by a 62-31 vote. While it did move through a Senate committee, it never received a vote on the Senate floor and died at the conclusion of the 2025 session.