Pros and Cons For Oklahoma To Legalize Sports Betting

We like to keep our eyes on states where legal sports betting is NOT a thing yet — just to see if anything has changed. That’s becoming easier as time passes and more states legalize. For instance, sports betting in Missouri is now a thing so that state is off our list.

We’re down to 11 states where betting on sports is still barred. One of those states is none other than Oklahoma. But here’s the thing: of all the states still holding out, Oklahoma is one of the most surprising. Surprising because the state has the infrastructure and culture to support but hasn’t it for one reason or another.

As we approach 2025, sports betting is expected to be on the ballot once more in Oklahoma. The head of the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association Matt Morgan said so at a recent gambling conference in October. But will anything pass?

Well, we don’t know — and few people do. So instead of speculating, we’re going to argue both sides. Make the pro case for sports betting to be legalized and the con side too. That way, you can see both sides of the argument ahead of a crucial 2025 legislative session. You decide what side has the stronger case right now.

Pro Sports Betting In Oklahoma

We’re on a pro-gambling site so you can probably guess where our bias is, which we want to throw out right now. But bias aside, there’s a strong rationale for Oklahoma sports betting to be alive and well. Let’s lay it out here.

Here’s the big one: betting has a strong place in Oklahoma’s culture already. The Native American tribes of the area were afforded the right to allow casino-style betting in 1988, leading to a boom period in the ‘90s. Back then, the three dominant markets in the U.S. for casino gambling was Nevada, New Jersey, and yes, Oklahoma. Because of that, there’s not an abrasive attitude toward it like, say, neighboring Texas, which is more conservative about the issue.

In Oklahoma, the tribes have a compact with the state to allow betting on native-owned land. This mirrors a host of other states, many of which expanded those agreements to include sports betting. This is the case in Florida, for example, where the Seminoles Tribe were afforded the right to sports betting. The same could happen in the Sooner State since there’s infrastructure in place.

Not only that, but regulated betting would allow the state AND native tribes to garner extra income — via taxes and just gambling winnings (the house always wins folks). Right now, that’s not possible. As a matter of fact, both parties are losing our money because the open secret is that offshore sportsbooks are making a killing inside the state. All the millions (and yes, it’s multiple millions) that flow there go completely untaxed. Money from this could fund education or local communities, as is the case with many legalized betting states.

We’re extremely confident that loss of income is closer to nine figures (100 million) than eight figures (10 million). Seriously, Oklahoma is a diehard sports state, especially when it comes to the Sooner football team. And with Texas not having legalized betting, Oklahoma could boost its revenues from out-of-state bettors like it already does with its regular casinos. There’s zero doubt in our mind that Oklahoma sports betting would be big business.

Con Sports Betting In Oklahoma

There’s really only one reason why legal sports gambling in Oklahoma is a longshot, but it’s a big one: egos. As in people’s egos that can’t get to the negotiating table and work something out. This has been the hindrance all along, and if anything, the issue has only gotten worse — not better.

The egos involve pretty much all the tribes, of which there are dozens upon dozens of, and Governor Kevin Stitt. The Indians don’t like him one bit, and honestly, the same probably applies vice-versa after what’s transpired since Stitt took the governor’s seat in 2018.

It started in 2019 when Stitt tried to renegotiate Oklahoma’s gaming compacts with the tribes. After those efforts failed, Stitt struck separate agreements with four tribal nations — to the chagrin of the others. Welp, the Oklahoma Supreme Court had to get involved and ruled those agreements unconstitutional, sparking a legal battle between the two sides.

That was just the start as Stitt effectively poured gasoline on the fire in 2023. This is when he rolled out an online sports betting plan that included commercial operators — such as DraftKings or FanDuel. Of course, that set the Indians off as they believe (rightfully so) they have exclusivity over betting.

One of the issues Stitt stirred up would’ve been enough to sour the relationship, but two? That’s why there’s so much bad blood between the parties. Call us cynics, but we don’t see these issues going away until Stitt is no longer in office, which isn’t a possibility until 2026.

We’re personally not optimistic sports betting will get passed here in 2025, but hey, crazier things have happened before. We’ll just have to wait and see, but at least you know the arguments on both sides now.