Illegal betting is a growing problem for Oklahoma and Texas

Peter LewisPeter Lewis | August 19, 2022
Illegal betting is a growing problem for Oklahoma and Texas

One of the worst things people hoping for sports betting in Oklahoma have seen of late has been the less optimism in things being made legal down the road. With things being shot down during the last legislative session in the spring, it killed any belief that sports betting would be coming to the Sooner State in the near future. Now, the fact that illegal betting is a growing problem for Oklahoma and Texas is adding to anger.

Indeed, both these states are fully aware of the growing issues of illegal sports betting activity, and it’s something that needs to come to a halt as soon as possible. How is that going to happen? Obviously, legalizing sports betting would mean that the governments in both states would be able to regulate things. This is something people in Oklahoma and Texas are fully aware of.

“Consumers are already placing bets in the illegal market in Texas, and they are largely doing so via offshore books that appear to be legal,” sports betting expert David Clement said

 

. “They have the appearance of legality, but they are not necessarily legal.”

The fact of the matter here is that both Texas and Oklahoma go hand in hand when it comes to illegal activity, as they’re so close to each other and some of the biggest rivalries in the region are from those two states. This obviously includes the Red River Showdown, one of the best games of the year when it comes to college football, which we’ll be discussing more about below.

College football season is going to result in more illegal Oklahoma bets

It goes without saying, but college football season is going to result in more illegal Oklahoma bets, and that’s not what anyone wants to see. With the Red River Showdown specifically, this highlights the contest between Texas and Oklahoma, and people are going to no question be checking out the best NCAAF betting lines to get the updated odds.

Then, people in Oklahoma will then place their bets through either a bookie or an offshore account. Millions of dollars will be transferred illegally in Oklahoma during the college football season, and that simply can’t be allowed to happen for the long haul. Not only that, but countless wagers are also going to be on the way for the NFL Super Bowl betting too.

Despite Oklahoma not having a professional football team, there’s always strong interest in the nearby Dallas Cowboys. With the Cowboys hoping to win the NFC East this year, that just means people will be showing plenty of interest in the NFL’s best betting odds from start to finish during the campaign. Dak Prescott is ready for a huge year, as is CeeDee Lamb.

This is something people in Oklahoma are going to be watching closely. Will Dallas be able to live up to the hype and win the division, or will the Commanders, Eagles, or Giants end up coming out on top? This will be something to monitor, and you already know people are going to be betting illegally on it in Oklahoma. Again, this is rough to see.

Illegal betting will spike during the NBA season too

One thing to remember here as well is that illegal betting will spike during the NBA season, too, in this case. As soon as it was announced that no betting would be on the table for Oklahoma in 2022, madness ensued. On top of that, people didn’t waste time in placing their illegal bets on the Oklahoma City Thunder, easily the most popular pro team in the state.

While Oklahoma City is nowhere close to its days when they reached the NBA Finals with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook in town, there’s still plenty of excitement around the group. There’s a lot of young talent, and the selection of Chet Holmgren in the 2022 NBA Draft has people excited about what’s to come this season and beyond. Holmgren was a stud for Gonzaga and he has a ton of potential.

Having said that, people would love nothing more than to be able to visit different locations and make authorized sports bets. There’d be a lot more freedom there, and they wouldn’t have to worry about breaking the law. That doesn’t matter to some folks, though, as they’re going to continue to make their bets and not even think twice about the punishment for participating in illegal activity.

From our chair, Oklahoma needs to make a change as soon as possible, and so does Texas. Both of these states are trying to move in the right direction when it comes to sports betting, but no one knows if that’s going to go down or not. With things so unclear, illegal activity will rise for NBA, NFL, MLB fans, and more. Hopefully, this won’t be the case down the road – but again, you just never know what might end up happening.

Peter Lewis

Peter Lewis Jr. comes from Mississippi where he and his family spend their days discussing college football and basketball. He's written sports journalism for years after studying journalism at a local university.