Tribes Want Legal Sports Betting Under One Condition

Sports betting in Oklahoma is the ultimate see-saw battle between the two biggest stakeholders in the matter.

On one end, you have dozens of Native American tribes, which have the right to offer Las Vegas-style betting inside the Sooner State. They operate hundreds of gaming establishments around the state. However, no sports betting is offered yet despite their interest in doing so.

On the other end you have Governor Kevin Stitt, who ultimately has to sign off on any form of legal sports betting. He wants legal betting too, but with commercial operators in the mix too, not just the tribes.

This rationale has put the two sides at odds. And if words are to be believed, no resolution will be had until Stitt is no longer Oklahoma’s governor.

Tribe Make Their Feelings Toward Stitt Known More

All right, we already knew the tribes hated Stitt’s guts. However, they reminded us during the Global Gaming Expo earlier this month in Las Vegas. This is us paraphrasing Matt Morgan, head of the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association (OIGA), during the conference:

They are open to discussing sports betting inside the state. However, they will remain still until Stitt is no longer in his position. In other words, this is a matter of principle now. They don’t want to do business with Stitt directly — which is a requirement to get this through the door if he stays governor.

If it feels like the relationship is beyond repair, you’d be right. Stitt has been in the governor’s seat since 2018. However, most of the stint has been marred by tension with the tribes. As we said, he tried to step on the tribe’s exclusivity by trying to bring in commercial sportsbooks like DraftKings and FanDuel. He’s also been sued by lawmakers over compact agreements.

Most don’t realize this, but the tribes carry A LOT of power in Oklahoma — more than in most states. Matter of fact, Oklahoma is the second biggest tribal market in the country after California. Get this, Oklahoma features 39 tribes, who collectively operate more than 125 gaming locations in the state. For Stitt to mend the relationship, it would take massive effort since there are so many different groups.

Senator Will Push For Legalization Regardless

Despite all this tension in the air, state Senator Bill Coleman says he’s introducing another sports betting bill for Oklahoma come 2025. He says the details are being ironed out, but input from the 39 tribes is being factored in. The governor will also have say.

Coleman also mentioned that he expects Rep. Ken Luttrell to co-sponsor the bill in the House. Luttrell has been involved with previous efforts too. For instance, Luttrell led the charge for sports betting legislation in 2023, but the bill was stalled due to the aforementioned disagreements we covered.

“The main reason I’m carrying this is we’re losing money to other states,” Coleman explained. “Texas got close in 2023, and if they go into 2025 and pass it, that would leave us surrounded.”

All of Oklahoma’s neighbors now offer legal sports betting minus Texas. They are the final two holdovers, which has forced bettors to either travel elsewhere to bet or just use an offshore betting site. The latter has a huge market in non-legal states like Texas and Oklahoma.

Online Lottery Also Wanted

Coleman’s hopes don’t end with online sports betting. He also brought up the bill he wants introduced to include add-ons for the Oklahoma Lottery. The state already operates a lottery, however, Coleman wants to enable online lottery products too — not just in-person games.

That’s the only detail Coleman mentioned about this supposed bill in the works. He was brief on any additional info outside saying having so many tribes in the state presents a challenge other states don’t have. That would be true because a place like Florida really only has to work with one tribe — the Florida Seminoles — rather than 39.

Another potential sticking point, according to Coleman, is the inclusion of the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder (the only pro team in the state) or untethered operators in the licensing process. Such provisions, which are part of a current proposal from Gov. Stitt, could increase friction with the tribes.

One Tribe Already Building Out Sports Betting Infrastructure

In an interesting move, the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma entered into a partnership with Kambi earlier this year — knowing full well of the current tension. Kambi builds out betting platforms. DraftKings used to rely on them before they built their own tech stack. This agreement means the tribe wants to entrust Kambi with their betting infrastructure.

In other words, the Choctaw Nation is positioning itself for a legal sports betting market. It makes sense cause they have a lot to gain IF it ever happens. In addition to operating a casino just 90 miles north of Dallas, the tribe also holds an exclusive casino partnership with the Texas Rangers.

We’ll be monitoring this story closely cause it’ll be huge all 2025. But the above information is the most current we have!