Chris Boline
The dream is dead for people who were eyeing Oklahoma sports betting to arrive in the near future. That’s because the government in the state has decided that things won’t be going down. That’s right, the Oklahoma bill for legal sports betting doesn’t pass as many people had hoped and now it’s back to square one for the state. How in the world did this happen?
There had been some promise for things to be given the green light, as people were getting ready to check out the best rated sportsbooks and get their wagers in. The opposite is the case right now, though, as the bill somehow didn’t pass. Politicians are not happy about this, as they know the amount of revenue it’d bring in for the state. It’s left countless people scratching their heads.
“It’s truly an economic issue for the tribes and for the state,” Republican Ken Luttrell said via the Ada News. “We’re missing millions of dollars in revenue each week. Oklahomans are sports bettors whether they’re doing it online, under the table or journeying out of state placing their bets. We should be participating in that income and using that revenue for public education and for core services.”
Politician Lutrell is not happy about this, as he understands that people are still making bets, whether it’s legal or illegal. Lutrell wishes that Oklahoma could bring in millions of dollars in revenue and use those funds to help out with public services, of course including education. Instead, money will continue to be exchanged illegally and that’s not right. Oklahoma has really dropped the ball here.
Oklahoma fails to pass tribal sports betting bill amid lack of "appetite," moral issues in Senate Casino News – https://t.co/CetmW88luB pic.twitter.com/g59npBc04r
— Casino News (@CasinoNews6) May 17, 2022
Oklahoma’s sports betting update is brutal for college football fans
It goes without saying, but Oklahoma’s sports betting update is brutal for college football fans moving forward. In Oklahoma, it’s no surprise at all that college football is king. With the Oklahoma Sooners ready for a new era under new head coach Brent Venables, formerly of Clemson, there’s going to be plenty of interest surrounding the team for a while.
Lincoln Riley is now at USC, so is Caleb Williams. On top of that, former Oklahoma starter Spencer Rattler is now suiting up for South Carolina. With so many changes for the Sooners, they’re still going to be a force in the Big 12. With this, people would have loved the chance to check out the college football odds with passion and place some wagers.
That’s now not going to happen, though, thanks to the bill failing. How in the world is this possible? Not only will people not be able to bet on the Oklahoma Sooner, but the Oklahoma State Cowboys are also a big-time team too. They’re always going to bring in plenty of interest and the OSU fans are furious they also won’t be able to make any of their planned bets.
In his quote above, Lutrell spoke about the millions of dollars in revenue that’s being lost by the state on a consistent basis. Obviously, the amount of money would skyrocket in the fall months once the football season arrives. Think of all the money that would be bet on for college football season? Now, bets will still be made illegally and that fact really infuriates Lutrell and others. It’s unacceptable.
75,360 strong.
Packed the Palace ✅#OUDNA pic.twitter.com/BDWzadCg5i
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) April 23, 2022
No betting will hurt during the NBA season too
Of course, no betting will hurt during the NBA season too, as the Oklahoma City Thunder have a huge fanbase in town. Though OKC has been through some lean years, they are starting to develop a strong tradition in town. There have been plenty of ups and downs for the team ever since they made the move to OKC from Seattle, but there’s plenty of hope surrounding the organization.
With this, you think people would waste a second in betting on the team or the NBA as a whole? Right now, people would be checking the NBA Finals guide with things about to wrap up in terms of the conference playoffs. The NBA Finals is always going to be a huge betting opportunity and people in Oklahoma would love to partake in things.
With the way things are set up right now, however, people would either have to make their bets out of state or do so illegally. How in the heck is that fair at all? Right now, more than 30 states in the USA have legalized sports betting. Others are hoping to get things done in the near future as well. Down the road, this is something that’s going to need to be changed in Oklahoma.
This latest update is no question back-breaking for so many people and it has left a lot of folks upset. It’s easy to understand why they’re so mad. The plans were put in place for legal sports betting to be made on tribal lands, but the state as a whole has decided against it. There’s no good reason for this to have been the decision. We can only hope this changes in the next year or two.
