Chris Boline
Right now, things surely are moving in the right direction for Oklahoma sports betting potentially becoming legal later this year. Lawmakers and officials have been working hard to try and get something on the docket, with the newest bill really making a splash. With that, Oklahoma sports betting is inching closer with the latest update that has arrived, which has a lot of people excited about things moving forward.
According to a report, Bill 1027 has reached the next step for things to potentially be given the green light, as the sports betting bill will be heard on the house senate floor on March 24. After discussions take place, then there will be a vote taking place to decide whether or not to move forward with the bill. If that gets voted in, then it would then move closer to the people of Oklahoma voting it in or not.
In Oklahoma City in particular, there’s plenty of buzz about this bill moving forward. People are excited about things coming into place, but there are still some final steps that need to be taken. The legalization of sports is something that has been discussed in Oklahoma for a while, but nothing has been finalized. However, the optimism has never been higher than it currently is right now for folks.
The fact of the matter is that the revenue opportunities for the state are quite high. We’ve seen just how great sports betting has been over the past year with new states giving things a go. Oklahoma officials know what’s at stake here, but this could finally be the year when a historic change is recorded. Only time will tell what happens, but we’ll find out more next week when the hearing takes place and the vote in the house goes down.
SPORTS BETTING UPDATE: With March Madness getting underway we wanted to check in on the effort to legalize sports betting in Oklahoma.
A bill looking to do just that has to clear the House floor by the end of next week. | @koconews pic.twitter.com/OuS4TUKQPy
— Andy Weber (@AndyWKOCO) March 16, 2023
Legal sports betting could arrive by football season
What’s even better for things here is that legal sports betting could arrive by football season. Despite there being no pro team in Oklahoma, people would surely waste no time in checking the NFL betting odds constantly if things get done during the fall. Last month, people were voicing their displeasure during the Super Bowl that they weren’t able to bet on the big game, while so many others across the USA could.
The Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles put on a show in that game, with Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts being absolutely brilliant. People in Oklahoma wanted to be able to get in on the action, as the Chiefs were able to record an incredible comeback victory over Philly. However, they weren’t able to do so, which was nothing short of disappointing for so many people.
However, that negative feeling could change down the road if things are flipped and betting is made legal. Despite there being some uncertainty around things, the plan, for now, is that legal betting would be permitted at three Indian locations to start. That could change, though, as more and more updates continue to come in. What would be important here too would be for online betting to be approved too.
What could complicate things, though, is that even online bets would have to take place while on the tribal grounds, which doesn’t have a lot of people pumped up. However, just getting sports betting launched would be considered a major victory, and things could be updated down the road after that too. We’ve seen how great online betting has been across the USA, which is something Oklahoma must keep in mind too.
College Football fans are following the betting bill closely
It goes without saying, but college football fans are following the betting bill closely. With how popular the Oklahoma Sooners and Oklahoma State Cowboys are, the NCAAF betting odds would also be checked on a regular basis. Imagine college football Saturdays where either the Sooners or Cowboys are in action, and then people would be able to make their bets in peace. This is what the kind folks of Oklahoma are looking forward to.
Now, with things in the balance, everyone is going to be waiting to see how things shape out over the next few weeks. First, things must go well in the house senate meeting. From there, we will have a much better idea of what will end up happening. The worry here, though, is that things don’t get passed the senate. If things do come to a vote, and the amount to move forward isn’t needed, then it will be back to square one for the state.
This is something that nobody wants to see, as the belief is that this new sports betting bill could potentially be the one to finally get the job done. This bill in particular has people in the state dreaming of some good news arriving for them. Like we said, we’ll find out soon enough what is decided next week, but we really do feel like Oklahoma is inching closer to bringing sports betting to its citizens.
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) March 15, 2023
