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This is the last thing people in the state were hoping to see for Oklahoma sports betting news. Earlier in the year, in January specifically, Oklahoma governor Kevin Stitt spoke out in his support for legalization. And with a new sports betting bill catching the attention of people, there was hope that legal betting would arrive for people to take advantage of this year. However, that won’t be the case, as the latest Oklahoma sports betting bill falls short in the Senate.
Just like that, the dreams of Oklahoma betting arriving in 2023 have died. We don’t have to tell you how big of a bummer this is for sports fans. For a while now, Oklahoma has been trying to get things across the line. With so many states finding ways to get things finalized. Stitt and Co. were hoping that this would finally be the year that things went their way. That’s not the case, though, as we must now wait until at least 2024.
“I continue to believe that sports betting would be a good thing for our state,” Republican Senator Bill Coleman told local TV station KFOR in a recent interview. “The majority of my constituents who have reached out were overwhelmingly supportive of sports betting. However, it became clear during the process that there are too many unresolved issues that ultimately killed it this year.”
That quote from Coleman is both good and bad. On one hand, it’s great to see that so many politicians are in favor of betting coming soon – they know how beneficial it would be for Oklahoma as a whole. However, there’s also a lot of worry after he brought up the unresolved issues that people are still fighting over when it comes to legalization. This is something that needs to be addressed as soon as possible.
Legal sports betting in Oklahoma fails to move forward.
What's kept it from passing for the second year in a row: https://t.co/GGMUIshtau@OKCFOX @WayneStaffordTV @wsuares pic.twitter.com/topZCMaa4p
— David Chasanov (@DavidChasanov) April 19, 2023
No Oklahoma sports betting for 2023 is a huge bummer
It goes without saying, but no Oklahoma sports betting for 2023 is a huge bummer for so many people out there. In recent months, there had been some positive talks about things moving in the right direction. With the update that the latest betting bill was going to reach the Senate, it had people fired up about the possibilities. Now, though, we know that things didn’t go according to plan.
Despite this recent failure, there’s no question that Oklahoma and Stitt will try again next year to make things happen. In order for that to happen, Stitt and Co. are going to need to meet with the local Indian tribes and make sure everyone can come to some sort of agreement. There’s plenty of planning that will need to get done for the next betting bill that will be pitched. The importance of getting on the same page could not be higher.
“This legislation will take more than just passing a bill through the Legislature,” Coleman said via KFOR of the plans for the future. “When dealing with our tribal partners, compacting, and all the nuances that come with exclusivity and future gaming negotiations, we must get the governor in the same room with tribal leaders to build upon the conversation started this year by the Legislature.”
In order for legislation to move forward in 2024 or beyond, the tribal leaders and Stitt indeed need to get in the same room and iron things out. There had been talks about betting potentially getting on the table for the start of the football season, but we now know that won’t be the case. At this point next year, though, people all over Oklahoma will be hopeful that a different kind of update will be on the way.
Let me be clear: I support sports betting in Oklahoma – provided that it’s fair, transparent, and the state can maximize revenue potential to invest in top priorities, like education. More to come.
— Governor Kevin Stitt (@GovStitt) January 3, 2023
NFL betting has huge potential for Oklahoma
Looking ahead to the future for this project, lawmakers fully understand that NFL betting has huge potential for Oklahoma. This is why so many people are bummed that there will be no legal wagers for the 2023 campaign. With the NFL Draft recently wrapping up, the excitement for the new season is quite high. Even though Oklahoma doesn’t have a pro team in the state, folks would have loved to check the NFL betting odds this year and put money down.
After winning the Super Bowl last season, the Kansas City Chiefs hold the No. 1 Super Bowl betting odds for this campaign. With Missouri not being too far from Oklahoma, people in the state surely have a lot of interest in how the Chiefs perform each season. With Patrick Mahomes playing so well and winning MVP last year too, it only adds to the intrigue overall for the AFC West powerhouse.
Not only that, but college football betting would have been huge for the state, as people love both the Oklahoma Sooners and Oklahoma State Cowboys. The NCAAF betting odds would have been checked constantly this fall if betting would have been approved. Perhaps in 2024, fans will be able to bet on both talented programs. For now, though, the wait is only going to get longer, which no one wanted to see at all.
