Oklahoma Sports Betting Bill Headed to the Senate

It’s starting to feel like Oklahoma sports betting could arrive later this year. After years of trying to get things across the line, the state continues to make positive advances for the project and lawmakers have finally gotten on the same page. What’s big right now is that the latest update of the new Oklahoma sports betting bill heading to the Senate has people all over the place fired up. Could this lead to things being legalized in the coming months?

That’s exactly what people are hoping for, asย House Bill 1027, which was written up by Republican Kevin Luttrell, has advanced to the Senate after a 2-1 vote went in favor of the bill at the Oklahoma House meeting not long ago. Now, things are headed to the Senate Committee, which will decide whether or not to move forward with things. The good news is that there’s plenty of optimism that it will, especially with large revenue numbers expected to benefit Oklahoma as a whole.

“Right now, Oklahoma is missing out on a huge financial opportunity for both our state and our tribes,” Luttrell said in a recent interview with The Oklahoman newspaper. “Oklahomans are traveling across state lines to participate in sports betting, and we’re losing those dollars. It makes economic sense to provide sports betting as an option.”

Luttrell has passionately been speaking in favor of sports betting for a long time. The good news here is that Governor Kevin Stitt is also on board. Only time will tell if this latest project ends up moving forward, but this is the closest the state has gotten to finalizing things in a long time. Legal betting could be coming soon, which would be historic news for Oklahoma and its citizens.

Will there be online betting in Oklahoma?

If things do get passed, plenty of people are wondering will there be online betting in Oklahoma? That remains unknown. The exact plan of action hasn’t been complete, but as The Oklahoman stated in their latest report, either in-person betting, online betting or both could be put on the table for people to take advantage of. In a perfect world, both in-person and online betting would be allowed.

The great thing about in-person bets is that they would help out local businesses. Imagine if bars and restaurants were able to hold sports betting kiosks in Oklahoma. This would only encourage people to place bets while they’re out eating some delicious food or eating food as well. With the online options, it would also allow people to place bets from the comfort of their own homes or when they’re out and about as well.

In Oklahoma, the NBA betting odds would be checked consistently, as people love the Oklahoma City Thunder. Ever since the team moved to OKC from Seattle, taking over the rights of the Sonics, people have been all over the hoops action in the capital city. The Thunder have developed a huge following across the state too. This is only going to increase the amount of betting action on the NBA if things are legalized.

From our chair, it would be a huge win for Luttrell and the state if both options are allowed. The thing to remember is that if only in-person options are allowed at the start, that doesn’t mean that online wagers wouldn’t be allowed down the road. This is all a process, but the main thing is getting legal sports betting allowed to start. If things go great in the Senate, then Luttrell and Co. will move things to the next level.

Sports betting could arrive in time for college football season

What’s important to remember here is that sports betting could arrive in time for college football season, which would be massive. As you’ve probably read from us more than once, football season is massive in Oklahoma, especially with the NCAA powerhouses that are featured starting in September. In this case, we’re of course talking about the Oklahoma Sooners and the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

Both of these teams continue to impress. These two sides have monster expectations for the 2023 campaign. If Luttrell’s sports betting bill moves forward in the Senate, then we could see things officially launched far in advance of Week 1 arriving for both the Sooners and Cowboys. Imagine if in early September both online betting and in-person betting is permitted for college football fans across the state. They wouldn’t even think twice about checking the NCAAF betting odds for Oklahoma and OSU.

This is something that Luttrell has preached to officials for a while, which has led to him receiving a ton of support. Now, everyone must wait and see how things go in the Senate, but it feels like it would be a bit of a stunner if this bill isn’t passed. People in Oklahoma need to get ready for some big news to arrive down the road. Luttrell could be remembered as the main figure who helped change the betting landscape for Oklahoma. Stay tuned to see what happens.

Peter Lewis

Peter Lewis Jr. comes from Mississippi where he and his family spend their days discussing college football, baseball and basketball. He's written sports journalism for years after studying journalism at a local university. Over time, Peter has cultivated extensive knowledge covering sports betting legislation across the country. He closely tracks the latest regulatory developments and provides key insights into their impacts. Peter also offers sharp MLB betting analysis, leveraging stats and trends to identify value on matchups.