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May 30 — that’s the day the 2025 Oklahoma legislative session ends. In the world of legal sports betting, this is the final day that Oklahoma can legalize itself.
As we all know, sports betting in Oklahoma is not allowed legally — this despite a burgeoning casino market up and down in the state. But can that change by the time May 30 rolls around?
Eh, probably not. While there is some legislation and talk swirling around, none of it has high chances of passing — not with the existing issues in the state’s political scene. Keep reading and we’ll detail everything that’s going on as of late in the Sooner State.
Pro-Betting Politician Says It Will Be Uphill Battle To Get Anything Passed
The biggest proponent of legal sports betting in-state has to be Rep. Ken Luttrell. Over the last few years, he’s tried multiple times to get something passed. He’s vouched for legalization in public. So when he says something, we listen.
The issue is, he’s being open about the low possibility that anything gets passed in 2025. Speaking to local media outlets recently, he called it an uphill battle. That’s not good news coming from the biggest advocate in the state’s House of Representatives.
Remember, the House actually passed a sports betting bill in 2023 by a 66-26 margin. That bill was led by Luttrell and would’ve allowed Oklahoma tribes to open in-person sportsbooks. The tribes could also partner with online sports betting operators if they so wanted. Remember this detail because it’s key to the matter. After passing in the House, the bill died in the Senate.
Two years later, Luttrell is backing two bills. His HB 1047 would legalize it through the normal legislative process, whereas HB 1102 would get the issue up for a public vote. But as he said, neither has a high chance of passing. Why? Because the most important man in Oklahoma politics is squarely against it, as we’ll explain in the next section.
Luttrell’s Support Of Tribes Draws Ire
Here’s the thing about the two bills the representative pushed this year: both give Oklahoma tribes the right to control sports gambling. Those tribes have a compact with the state to offer casino-style betting. Languages in Luttrell’s bills would allow the tribes to modify those compacts to include sports betting too.
“These bills represent a balanced approach, ensuring both tribal and public interests are served,” Luttrell has said before. “By legalizing sports betting, we’re not only creating new opportunities but also capturing revenue from millions of dollars that are currently being bet illegally or out of state.”
Here’s the issue though: State Governor Kevin Stitt has outright said he’ll veto any sports betting bill with tribal exclusivity. He doesn’t want them to monopolize the industry. Instead, he wants to open up the market to all the top betting apps like DraftKings and FanDuel.
“Needless to say, the governor is not very happy with me right now,” Luttrell has said “He said my two bills are the height of corruption.”
Ultimately, this right here is the reason sports betting remains illegal in Oklahoma. Stitt wants one thing, the tribes want another thing. More than that, the two sides hate each other’s guts. We’re not kidding when we say hate either. Heck, that might be an understatement given that the two sides are not even on talking terms right now.
Stitt’s issues with the tribes stem even further back than sports betting too. Early into his governorship, he tried to renegotiate compact deals with individual tribes — behind the backs of others. That ultimately led to lawsuits and bad blood, which has spilled over into the sportsbook betting debate. Everyone else, including Luttrell, has been caught in the crossfire ever since.
Other Betting Bill Also A Longshot
Luttrell isn’t the only lawmaker in the state pushing betting. Not there’s also Senator Bill Coleman. He introduced SB 585. Under his proposal, sports betting would flow through the Oklahoma City Thunder — the No. 1 seed in the NBA playoffs right now. Tribes would also get sports betting inside their casinos under SB 585.
However, Coleman’s bill might face even worse odds of passing. First of all, the tribes aren’t behind it since it means they lose their exclusivity — which they believe is guaranteed in the compact. It also doesn’t get support from Stitt, who wants proven betting apps in the market.
The Thunder bill was pulled from the House Appropriations and Budget Committee agenda mere hours before its scheduled hearing. That’s a clear sign the bill is about to die a painful death. Yikes.
So there you have it, folks. The disagreements are simply too much in Oklahoma right now. This will likely remain the case until Stitt is out as governor, which is still years away. So if you’re from the Sooner State and reading this, don’t expect any legal wagers to be placed in the state anytime soon.
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