Oklahoma lawmakers have only a few days before a crucial deadline to determine if the state has an opportunity to legalize sportsbooks.
Key takeaways
- Oklahoma lawmakers must act by May 8 to vote on two sports betting bills, or the state will face at least another year without legal sportsbooks.
- The bills would let tribal casinos open sportsbooks, but Gov. Stitt’s opposition stems from his preference for broader inclusion of commercial entities—an issue that's long stalled legalization efforts.
- Oklahoma’s vast tribal lands and numerous casinos position the state to become a major sportsbook market if legislation passes, with top operators like FanDuel and DraftKings likely to be involved.
Oklahoma law requires lawmakers to vote on all remaining bills by May 8. If legislators reject a pair of sports betting bills – or not take them up for a vote – by that deadline, Oklahoma will go at least another year without legal sportsbooks.
The two measures were not on the state Senate’s floor agenda Monday.
The two sports betting legalization bills await a vote in the Senate floor after passing the House earlier this year. One proposal would let the state’s gaming tribes open sportsbooks and potentially partner with third-party operators. The other bill has the same authorizations but requires Oklahoma voters to approve sports betting on the 2026 ballot before books could accept bets.
If the Senate doesn’t take up the bills by May 8, there's likely no path forward until the 2026 session begins.
If the Senate passes either bill with any changes from the House version, the two chambers will have to agree to pass identical versions. The final deadline in that scenario is May 30.
Gov. Kevin Stitt has opposed both bills. The legislature can override his veto with two-thirds supermajorities in both chambers.
Sports betting proponents see the ballot measure as a way to bring legal sportsbooks to the state over Stitt’s opposition. The measure isn't subject to a governor’s veto, creating an alternate potential route for legal books.
Oklahoma sports betting background
Oklahoma’s gaming tribes and policymakers have considered sports betting since the Supreme Court struck down the federal wagering ban in May 2018.
Stitt backed legislation that allows not only Native American tribes but also horse tracks, the state lottery and other commercial entities access to sports betting licenses. Tribes have exclusive rights to casino gaming including slots and table games and have opposed any proposal that permits other interests sports betting rights.
This helped cause a stalemate that stopped legal sportsbooks in the state with the highest per capita total of casinos. 39 other jurisdictions have some form of legal sports wagering.
Oklahoma's tribal sports betting bills are not on the agenda for today's Senate hearing; the bills, one that would legalize betting on tribal lands, the other that would require a ballot measure, must pass out of the Senate before a May 8 deadline
— Ryan Butler (@ButlerBets) May 5, 2025
The tribes previously said they'd be willing to wait to consider sports betting until Stitt leaves office in Jan. 2027. The Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association hasn't taken a firm “yes” or “no” position on the two bills now in the Senate.
A third sports betting bill that would let the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder partner with a third-party operator didn't advance out of committee before an earlier deadline.
Potential Oklahoma sportsbook market
Oklahoma’s extensive federally recognized sovereign tribal lands could create a large retail and potentially mobile sports betting framework.
Tribal jurisdictions belonging to roughly three-dozen Indian nations cover about 75% of the state. Tribal ownership of these lands covers a smaller, but still significant, portion of Oklahoma.
If the state enacts sports betting legislation, dozens of casinos could open in-person sportsbooks. They could also accept mobile bets from players physically located on tribal lands. In most states, these areas typically cover not much more land than the actual casino but this coverage area could be larger in Oklahoma.
Tribes in other states are split between partnering with a major outside commercial operator or using a third-party sports betting tech platform to a create an in-house, self branded book. In Oklahoma, there’s the potential for both options.
The Sooner State's Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, Cherokee and Seminole tribes operate many of its most prominent casinos. These tribes would be best positioned to open a book, either under their own names or with a commercial operator.
FanDuel and DraftKings, U.S. market share leaders, would top the list of potential mobile sports betting platforms if permitted to do so. Caesars and BetMGM are among the notable other commercial books that partnered with tribes in other states.
