Oklahoma Sports Betting Efforts: Gov Says 'I Rolled Out a Solid, Fair Plan Over a Year Ago'

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, has renewed his efforts to bring legalized sports betting to the Sooner State, including support for in-person wagering at tribal-run gaming sites.

He took to X this week to rehash the plan he unveiled last year, which called for a 20% levy on online betting revenue.

“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.”

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.

“I promised Oklahomans if we pursued sports betting, we would do it right—and this plan does just that,” said Governor Stitt. “Thirty-five states have already legalized sports betting, and it’ll be a great revenue stream for the state. Tribes will be able to add it onto their existing infrastructure, and Oklahomans can access it right from their phone.”

Despite repeated efforts to pass legislation, Stitt has met resistance from some lawmakers and tribal gaming leaders.

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.

“As more states legalize sports betting, Oklahoma can’t afford to fall behind,” Coleman, the committee chairman, said in a release. “With more Native American tribes and tribal casinos than any other state and a passionate sports fanbase, Oklahoma is uniquely positioned to transform this industry into a thriving economic driver. Legalizing sports gaming will generate millions in new revenue and create new jobs across the state — it’s already happening in the 39 other states that have jumped on the bandwagon. I’m optimistic that this is the year Oklahoma’s tribes, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the governor and other stakeholders will come together to find a compromise everyone can get behind.”

By  Gilbert Horowitz Gilbert is the esteemed reporter for Gambling911 covering all gamuts of the industry.  He has been with the site for the better part of a decade.  Gilbert works out of the Miami Beach bureau.