Oklahoma lawmakers removed discussion about a mobile sports betting legalization bill Monday hours before they were set to consider and potentially vote on the proposal. Monday’s move does not spell the end of the state’s sports betting hopes but potentially presents another obstacle in the state’s multi-year effort to approve legal sportsbooks.
Key Takeaways
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Sports betting legislation in Oklahoma faced a setback as a bill allowing mobile wagering was pulled from discussion hours before a key subcommittee vote, despite having previously passed the Senate.
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The bill highlights longstanding tensions between state leaders and tribal nations, who seek to preserve their exclusive gaming rights and are open to partnerships, while Gov. Kevin Stitt insists on an open market that includes non-tribal entities.
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Oklahoma remains an outlier amid widespread legalization, as neighboring states including Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, and Colorado already offer legal mobile sports betting, increasing pressure on Oklahoma to act.
A subcommittee of the powerful House of Representatives Appropriations and Budget Committee was scheduled to discuss the Oklahoma sports betting bill. Had it advanced out of the subcommittee and through the full Appropriations Committee, which determines much of the state’s spending-related bills, the proposal would likely have been positioned for a vote on the full House floor.
The bill narrowly passed the Senate last month.
Monday’s withdrawal does not end the bill’s chances of passing but underscores the continued complications of legal sports betting. Though lawmakers have warmed to legal sports betting in a state with more tribal casinos per capita than any other, the allocation of sportsbook licenses has divided stakeholders for years.
Oklahoma sports betting background
Oklahoma policymakers have considered legalizing sportsbooks since the Supreme Court struck down the federal wagering ban in 2018. The state’s roughly three-dozen federally recognized gaming tribes would support legal sports betting but not at the expense of what they argue is their exclusive right to offer all forms of gambling in the state.
The Senate bill that was set for discussion Monday would, if passed, allow the tribes to accept mobile bets on their tribal lands. Most of Oklahoma, including Tulsa and the surrounding metro area, includes federally recognized tribal lands.
These lands are divided among the tribes and vary greatly in size, population, and number of casinos. If passed, the bill would create a potential patchwork of legal sports betting areas.
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
It’s unclear if tribes would partner with national sportsbooks or work with a third-party tech operator to create a self-branded mobile wagering platform.
The bill would also allow the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder to partner with a third-party mobile sports betting operator such as FanDuel or DraftKings. Oklahoma City and its surrounding metro area is not on any tribal lands.
Oklahoma gaming tribes have indicated publicly they were willing to work with groups outside Indian Country. The Oklahoma Indiana Gaming Association in a March letter said it was also offering recommendations to two other sports betting bills under consideration in the legislature.
The legislative discussions come as Gov. Kevin Stitt has said he will veto any of those three bills. Stitt has said he will only support an “open” sports betting market that allows not just tribes but also potentially the state lottery, horse tracks and commercial entities to apply for licenses.
This division has stalled sports betting proposals for years. Tribal leaders, while working on legislation in the 2025 session, have indicated they would also be willing to wait until a new governor after Stitt’s final term expires in January 2027.
Oklahoma sports betting impact
Oklahoma’s prolonged sports betting delay comes as 39 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico have all legalized sportsbooks.
Oklahoma neighbor Missouri is set to become the latest state to take a legal sports bet this fall. Other Oklahoma neighbors Arkansas, Kansas, and Colorado already have legal statewide mobile sports betting.
Legal mobile sports betting could also put more pressure on Texas, the nation’s second-most populated state, to at least reconsider its sports betting ban. Texans spend hundreds of millions of dollars each year at Oklahoma casinos, the closest legal gambling establishments to the Dallas-Forth Worth metroplex.
