(AsiaGameHub) – Oklahoma legislators have declared they are “closer than ever” to approving sports betting. The state continues to be among a small number in the US that does not permit wagering either at physical locations or online.
Sen. Bill Coleman and Rep. Ken Luttrell have revealed an agreement with the Oklahoma City Thunder and the state’s tribal nations to advance legislation that has been delayed for a year.
“This is a big day for Oklahoma,” Coleman stated in a press release. “We’re closer than we’ve ever been to legalizing sports betting.”
Coleman and Luttrell have updated HB1047, a bill the House passed with a 62-31 vote in March 2025. The bill’s progress was halted in the Senate, but a vote by Senators is anticipated in the next week.
“This new legislation results from thousands of hours of negotiations spanning many years,” Coleman further noted. His efforts to legalize sports betting began after PASPA was overturned in 2018.
OKC Thunder & Tribes On Board
The proposed changes to HB 1047 would authorize both in-person and mobile sports betting operated by the state’s tribes. The tribes would subsequently form partnerships with commercial operators like FanDuel and DraftKings to introduce online betting platforms.
Coleman and Luttrell indicated the bill’s terms were developed jointly with the tribes and the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder franchise has supported the sports betting initiative since the previous year.
Under the new amendment, revenue from bets placed on NBA and WNBA games would be directed to the Strong Readers Fund to aid early childhood literacy initiatives.
While tribes would retain most of the revenue, they would return 8% of earnings back to the state.
“This agreement honors our tribal partners and demonstrates a partnership with our NBA franchise to establish a legal, transparent system that can rival the unregulated black market and legally ambiguous prediction markets,” Coleman said.
“This has been a long road in the making,” Luttrell added. “We’ve spent years working through the details, listening to our tribal partners and working with stakeholders like the Oklahoma City Thunder to get this right.”
Oklahomans Already Betting on Sports
“Oklahomans are already placing bets through other platforms or driving out of state to make legal wagers,” Coleman remarked. “It’s time for all of us to come together to get behind this proposal that protects consumers and keeps those dollars here in Oklahoma to benefit our state.”
Neighboring Missouri introduced its sports betting market the previous year, and Wisconsin enacted legislation last month to permit online wagering.
Oklahoma is currently one of just 11 states without legal sports betting, yet the growth of prediction markets has created a way for residents to bet on sports.
“What we have now reflects that effort and gives Oklahoma a chance to finally bring this activity into a legal, regulated system, said Luttrell. “That means keeping those dollars here at home, strengthening our economy, protecting consumers, and supporting critical services. We’ve done the work, and now we’re in a position to move forward with a plan that reflects years of input and careful consideration.”
Governor Could Veto Bill
The Senate is now expected to vote on the revised bill, which must then return to the House for another approval because of the amendments.
Should it pass both chambers, the decision would fall to Governor Kevin Stitt to enact the legislation. There is, however, no certainty that the Governor will allow the bill to become law.
Stitt has in the past voiced criticism of a model that grants tribes exclusive control over sports betting and has shown a general disapproval of expanding gambling within the state.
“It’s horrible,” Stitt said in an interview last fall. “If I had my way, I wouldn’t have gambling at all. It’s a travesty.”
Regarding the current effort to legalize sports betting, a spokesperson for the Governor said, “Governor Stitt has been clear that he will only support a free market approach to sports betting in Oklahoma. No legislation has reached his desk yet, so we won’t comment on specifics of pending legislation.”
This article is provided by a third-party. AsiaGameHub (https://asiagamehub.com/) makes no warranties regarding its content.
AsiaGameHub delivers targeted distribution for iGaming, Casino, and eSports, connecting 3,000+ premium Asian media outlets and 80,000+ specialized influencers across ASEAN.