It will be later, rather than sooner, for legalized sports betting to come to Oklahoma after two bills died on the floor of the State Senate on Thursday.
Both pieces of legislation — one that would have given at least a quartet of Native American tribes an exclusive toehold on sports betting, another that would have sent the question of sports betting to voters — failed to receive a vote in the Senate before a critical deadline, FOX 23 reported. The bills had gained momentum and were just one round of voting away from their next steps.
If passed, the bill to give tribes exclusivity would have headed to Gov. Kevin Stitt’s desk, though he had previously threatened to veto it, calling it a “cash giveaway” to the state’s tribes. The other bill would have allowed Oklahoma voters to decide through a statewide ballot measure.
Despite the bills failing, this marked a significant milestone for sports betting legislation in the state. While the Oklahoma House has consistently shown bipartisan support for sports betting across multiple sessions, the recent committee approval in the Senate represented the furthest such legislation had ever advanced in that chamber.
According to FOX 23, communication breakdown played a key role in the bills’ demise. It reported that the tribes, governor’s office, and other necessary parties weren’t communicating effectively to implement sports betting, even if it had received approval.
Still optimistic
State Sen. Bill Coleman, who spearheaded the effort in the Senate, remains optimistic despite the setback.
“I’ve been working on sports betting for years and truly believe Oklahoma is missing out on a significant opportunity — both economically and in terms of consumer protection,” Coleman said in a statement. “While I was initially skeptical, further research and conversations with industry leaders have shown me the significant safeguards in place to address issues like addictive behavior. Although the legislation did not move forward this session, the issue is far from dead.
“The biggest challenge I have noticed through this process has been a lack of communication — no one is sitting down and talking through this. That’s why I’m seriously considering hosting an interim study this summer to bring all stakeholders to the table. If we want a responsible and effective path forward on sports betting, we need to build it together.”
The bills in question were HB 1047 and HB 1101. HB 1047 called for at least four tribes to compact with the state for sports betting and included a model compact supplement. The tribes would have paid the state a 10% revenue share.
HB 1101 would have sent the decision to legalize sports betting to voters on the November 2026 ballot. The language in HB 1101 mirrors the language in HB 1047, including the 10% revenue share and the model compact supplement.
“We need more of a free market accountable system,” Stitt said during a press conference in early March, according to The Oklahoman. “[The tribes are] big businesses. They can sign up, and they can do the exact same thing that the [Oklahoma City] Thunder or somebody else can, but I don’t want to give a monopoly exclusively to the tribes that are a very reduced number.”
