Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt has a plan for how sports betting should be legalized in his state – and he’s sticking to it.
Stitt took to social media on Monday to remind everyone he previously proposed a vision for sports wagering in Oklahoma, albeit one that could clash with bills being debated in the state legislature.
“If the Legislature is going to pass sports betting in Oklahoma, it needs to be a fair deal for everyone – not just the tribes,” Stitt tweeted. “I rolled out a solid, fair plan over a year ago.”
Stitt then pointed to a November 2023 press release outlining "his plan to make sports betting a reality in Oklahoma," which would grant exclusivity over in-person wagering to the state's federally recognized Native American tribes.
However, the governor’s plan would leave mobile wagering to sportsbooks licensed by the state, opening the door for commercial operators such as DraftKings or FanDuel.
“I promised Oklahomans if we pursued sports betting, we would do it right – and this plan does just that,” Stitt said in the release. “Tribes will be able to add it onto their existing infrastructure, and Oklahomans can access it right from their phone.”
Stitt’s proposal included a 20% tax rate for mobile sports betting and a 15% levy for retail wagering.
Square deal, round hole
The governor’s comments on Monday suggest he is not backing down from his preferred model for sports betting in Oklahoma. That may put him at odds with some lawmakers and tribal gaming leaders, leaving Stitt as a significant roadblock to any legalization efforts through the legislature.
There are several sports betting-related bills that have been proposed in the Oklahoma House of Representatives and Senate this session, none of which have made any significant headway yet. Whether they gather enough steam to make it to the governor’s desk, and whether Stitt will be open to signing any one of them, is a way off.
Some bills look much more likely to garner Stitt’s signature than others. For example, earlier this month, the Oklahoma Senate's Business and Insurance Committee passed three bills that would bring legal sports betting to the state, albeit in different ways.
One would allow gaming tribes to offer in-person sports betting at their casinos and mobile wagering on their lands, while also giving the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder a license for online sports betting off tribal lands. Another would give the tribes control of both mobile and in-person sports betting in the state.
Senate Bill 164, authored by Republican Sen. Casey Murdock and passed by the committee, arguably offers the vision that is closest to what Stitt is seeking.
The legislation proposes to empower the board of trustees of the Oklahoma Lottery Commission to enter into written agreements with "one or more other states or sovereigns" for in-person and mobile sports wagering.
Murdock's bill also proposes a 15% tax rate for in-person wagering and a 20% levy for mobile wagering.
If the Legislature is going to pass sports betting in Oklahoma, it needs to be a fair deal for everyone— not just the tribes.
— Governor Kevin Stitt (@GovStitt) February 24, 2025
I rolled out a solid, fair plan over a year ago.
Check it out here: https://t.co/di7ec8Cwu5
Yet the governor’s remarks suggest certain pieces of legislation are non-starters for him, namely, Oklahoma House Bills 1047 and 1101, which took small steps forward earlier this month.
The legislation would leave sports betting entirely to the tribes, and H.B. 1101 would trigger a voter referendum on the issue if necessary.
It also seems unlikely Stitt’s vision for sports betting would meet with the approval of the state’s gaming tribes.
The Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association (OIGA) said earlier this month that proposals related to their business “have to make economic sense for everyone involved and not undermine or violate our Tribal-State Gaming compacts.”
