Oklahoma Sports Betting Coming Down to Wire

• Two Oklahoma House-approved sports betting bills are coming down tot he wire
• Oklahoma Senators have until May 8 to make a determination on the bills
• Even if approved, the state’s sports betting landscape is still muddle

Oklahoma sports betting is coming down to the wire in the Sooner State.

Two House-approved sports betting bill will have to be approved in the Senate by Thursday, May 8, or the issue will be officially dead in Oklahoma until next year.

However, even if the bills are approved they still face a potential gubernatorial challenge from Gov. Kevin Stitt (R), who has made it very clear that he is not a fan of any of the remaining pieces of Oklahoma sports betting legislation.

Deadline Upcoming This Week

The two-approved bills are currently not on today’s Senate agenda to be discussed.

Oklahoma’s legislative session faces sine die on Thursday, May 8. Rep. Ken Luttrell’s (R-37) sports betting bills, both approved last month in the House of Representatives, will have to be approved by members of the Senate prior to May 8 to survive the session.

If the bills are not discussed this week sports betting will be dead in Oklahoma for another year. However, even if the bills are approved, they still face a potential veto from Gov. Stitt. The governor has made it clear that he is not a fan of any of the sports betting bills, as they provide Oklahoma tribes with exclusive control over the new form of gaming. In fact, the governor has declared he will veto any bill that does not include a “free market solution” for Oklahoma.

“None of the bills that have moved off the floors of the House or Senate have gotten my input on them. As a matter of fact, they’ve excluded the Governor of the state of Oklahoma from these discussions. When they say that all stakeholders have come to the table and agreed on something, the taxpayers that are represented by the Oklahoma Governor has not weighed in on those things,” Stitt previously said.

The bills, HB 1047 and HB 1101, are identical and will allow Oklahoma tribes to amend their gaming compacts to allow in-person and online sports betting on tribal lands only. However, HB 1101 includes a provision that will send the issue to state voters in 2026 if HB 1047 is vetoed by Gov. Stitt.

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Tribal Control Over Sports Betting

The remaining sports betting legislation firmly places sports betting control with Oklahoma tribes. While potentially having support with Oklahoma lawmakers, Gov. Stitt has declared he is in opposition of any sports betting solution that does not allow a number of sports betting operators to do business in the state.

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.

HB 1047 proposes a 10% sports betting tax rate for operators.