Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt has renewed his efforts to bring legalized sports betting to the Sooner State, including support for in-person wagering at tribal-run gaming sites.
Stitt, a Republican in his second term, took to social media site X this week to rehash the plan he unveiled last year, which called for a 20% levy on online betting revenue.
Despite repeated efforts to pass legislation, Stitt has met resistance from some lawmakers and tribal gaming leaders.
“If Legislature is going to pass sports betting in Oklahoma, it needs to be a fair deal for everyone — not just the tribes,” Stitt wrote, while attaching his proposal from November 2023. “I rolled out a solid, fair plan over a year ago.”
Expansion has continued throughout the country since then, with sports betting now legally operative in 38 states plus Washington, D.C. Missouri is poised to be the 39th state when it launches this fall.
Stitt’s plan calls for mobile betting through sportsbooks licensed by the state, paving the way for commercial operators like DraftKings and FanDuel to increase their presence in the industry. That leaves control of retail sports betting to Oklahoma tribes, with revenue taxed 15%. It also calls for operators to pay an initial licensing fee of $500,000, along with an annual licensing fee of $100,000.
Additionally, NCAA prop betting would be prohibited, following the lead of Maryland, Ohio, Vermont and other states because of concerns about the abuse of student-athletes.
There are several sports betting-related bills that have been proposed in the Oklahoma House of Representatives and Senate this session, none of which have made significant headway yet.
Three bills that would legalize sports betting, including a proposal by Sen. Bill Coleman that would give the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder an exclusive gaming license, advanced from a Senate committee last week. However, debate rages on about the viability of such plans.
It’s no secret that sports betting has been a huge revenue driver. Revenue hit a record $13.7 billion in 2024, a 25.4% year-over-year increase. Of the $147.91 billion in bets, a whopping 95% were placed online.
Another bill would give tribes control of both mobile and in-person betting across Oklahoma, though Stitt remains opposed to tribal exclusivity for sports wagering.
There is also a proposal that would authorize the Oklahoma Lottery Commission to regulate sports betting and allow tribes and some non-tribal entities to apply for “sports pool” licenses.
Doug is a seasoned sports writer/editor with bylines for the New York Times, Associated Press and CBS Sports. He also has extensive experience in the betting industry, including work for Point Spreads. Prior to that, he covered UConn women's basketball and football for Hearst Connecticut Media.
