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If this doesn’t get people excited about the possibility of Oklahoma sports betting, then we’re not sure what will. For years now, there’s been plenty of debate on where things stand politically, as there seems to be major division between Republicans and Democrats. However, officials have said that they’re hopeful things will get done and a major update came in this past week. That news is the fact that Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt is pushing for sports betting again.
On Oct. 10, Stitt took to social media to let Oklahomans know that he’s all for legalizing sports betting and that he thinks there’s no better time than now to try and get the wheels moving in the right direction. This is not the first time Stitt has endorsed sports betting, as he previously said that he would be open to things. With his latest public statement, it has people thinking that good news could be coming sooner rather than later.
There’s never been a better time to be a sports fan in Oklahoma.
We can build a path to safe and responsible sports betting for Oklahomans 💸 pic.twitter.com/0Me1MLcLAU
— Governor Kevin Stitt (@GovStitt) October 10, 2023
“We’re going to get it done,” Stitt said. “There’s probably what, 30 states that have it? There are great game plans, there are great best practices in New Jersey and some of these other states. We just need to take the best from what we’ve learned from these other states and let’s implement it in Oklahoma. I’ve met with the Athletic Directors at OU (Oklahoma) and OSU (Oklahoma State) and they’re not opposed to it.”
The fact that Stitt confidently said that betting in Oklahoma will get done one day is massive news. He knows the betting potential for the state is high and he wants to see revenue start to come in as well. With him speaking to the ADs at Oklahoma and Oklahoma State is big news too. This feels like a giant step for the Oklahoma sports betting efforts. Only time will tell if more good news will be coming in soon or not.
Oklahoma and Oklahoma State athletics open to sports betting
As we mentioned above, Stitt said that he connected with the local Big 12 colleges, with Oklahoma and Oklahoma State athletics open to sports betting. This feels like a major win on its own, as the last thing anyone wanted to see was for both the universities to be against something like this. At the end of the day, it’s safe to assume that people in Oklahoma are going to be betting on the two once legal sports betting is allowed in the future.
From a football standpoint, people love both the Sooners and the Cowboys. Even without legal betting options on the table now, fans are checking the NCAAF betting odds consistently for both programs. Whenever Oklahoma is in action, people are fired up. Not only that, but there are countless former Oklahoma players who have moved on to the NFL and who have played at a high level.
This means that people will also be checking the NFL betting odds for those former players to see how their teams are looking ahead of a big game. A notable Oklahoma alumni is no question Kyler Murray, who is now with the Arizona Cardinals. In some good news for Oklahoma fans, Murray will return to practice soon for the NFC West side after he suffered a torn ACL last season.
That was devastating news, but it’s great to see that Murray is slowly but surely making his way back. As for Oklahoma State, coach Mike Gundy has done some wonderful things for the Cowboys. For the rest of the season, you better believe that some big wins will be on the way for the team. The excitement around both Oklahoma and Oklahoma State is quite high, which is good for Stitt and Co. too.
Coach Venables named to the 2023 Paul "Bear" Bryant Awards Coach of the Year watch list 👏@CoachVenables | #OUDNA pic.twitter.com/BrViy4iaJa
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) October 18, 2023
When will Oklahoma sports betting arrive?
When will Oklahoma sports betting arrive? That’s the question that a lot of people have on their minds right now, but it’s unknown when a certain date will be locked in. Stitt knows how much is at stake here. One of the main things holding the project from moving forward is no question the issues between Stitt and the local Indian tribes. This is something that has been discussed for quite some time. Regardless of that, Stitt wants betting to happen. He knows how valuable it can be.
Stitt’s latest interview on sports betting has a lot of citizens in the state quite excited, but it’s important to note that this isn’t the first time he has been outspoken like this. As great as it is hearing him speak so highly about sports betting, that doesn’t change the fact that things are currently illegal in the state. People in Oklahoma are tired of having to travel elsewhere for their sports betting needs.
No one can deny that illegal sports betting is a big problem in Oklahoma and the only way to rectify that would be to make things legal and get the laws changed. Stitt appears more than open to this. Moving forward, the right sports betting bill must be developed and people need to roll up their sleeves to make sure something can get done.
