Although it was a close call in 2020, Oklahoma sports betting has gone straight back to square one due to the legal challenges that have arisen
The state Governor, Kevin Stitt, did approve OK sports betting in tribal casinos on tribal land after renegotiating two existing gaming contracts. These compacts, that were agreed between the state and the Otoe-Missouria and Comanche Nation, would allow sports betting – excluding in-state college events and teams.
Mike Hunter, the State Attorney General, was quick to disagree with the Governor and went on to publish his formal opinion underlining exactly why he should not allow the state to offer sports betting.
As such, this effort was pushed to the side and the state court ruled against the governor and his compacts. Now, the Governor is only permitted to authorize tribes to offer games as listed already in the Oklahoma Tribal Gaming Act.
More recently, in 2022, Rep Ken Luttrell introduced a new bill to legalize sports betting for tribes that opt into a modal state-tribal compact – HB 3008. This is currently on the House floor waiting for action.
Oklahoma Sports Betting: The Future
Although Governor Kevin Stitt came very close to legalizing sports betting, it failed to cross the line. They have now been pushed right back to square one. However, Rep. Ken Luttrell believes that he stands a decent chance of passing his new Oklahoma sports betting bill in the upcoming year which would allow for legal mobile and legal online sports betting.
When Will Online Sports Betting Launch in Oklahoma?
The compacts proposed in 2020 did include mobile sports betting, but only geofenced in tribal grounds.
However, the new 2022 legislation proposed will not include mobile or online sports betting. However, the main sponsor of the bill believes that this will simply be a step forward that could lead to future expansion.
In future compact negotiations it could well be that the tribes might push for more – and allow a mobile market available across the state.
Online Oklahoma Sports Betting
To date, no gaming tribe or company is allowed to offer online sports betting. In addition, Oklahoma gambling laws don’t specifically prohibit Oklahoma residents from registering and wagering with online offshore sportsbooks. So, effectively, you can sign up with international online bookies and support your favorite teams without violating Oklahoma gambling laws.
However, we wouldn’t necessarily recommend this as they are not regulated within the state and may not be completely trustworthy. However, until the law legalizes Oklahoma online sports betting companies of their own, this remains the only way for state residents to wager online
Does Oklahoma Have Any Sports Betting?
By mid-2021, there was no physical land-based establishment that was allowed to offer legal sports betting in Oklahoma. When the Comanche Nation and Otoe-Missouria tribes iron out any issues with the state Attorney General, it is likely that retail sports betting will be made available at any or all of the following casinos that are owned and operated by the two state tribes:
- 7 Clans Chilocco Casino
- 7 Clans Paradise Casino
- 7 Clans Perry Casino
- 7 Clans Red Rock Casino
- Comanche Nation Casino
- Comanche Red River Hotel Casino
- Comanche Star Casino
- Comanche Spur Casino
Legal Sports Betting Options in Oklahoma 2022
As of the start of 2022, there are still no legal betting options in Oklahoma – and no regulated Oklahoma online betting sites,
Should an online sports betting site claim that it is legally regulated to take wagers from Oklahoma residents, then this is simply not the case. This is an unlicensed offshore operator. This means that anyone that places a bet on one of these sites will have no consumer protection through US laws. It may be that the bookmaker opts not to pay out any winnings – or closes down operations without returning your funds. You would have no comeback legally.
However, this situation could change at some point in the future, depending on the state tribes and what the state allows
Oklahoma’s situation could change quickly depending on what the tribes decide to do, and what the state and federal governments allow.
If everyone agrees to the same rules and regulations, this could lead to Oklahoma offering up to 70 tribal retail sportsbooks in the state. This could increase to 75 if it then opts to open the five non-tribal locations that were also mentioned as part of the proposed compacts
The Most Popular Sports to Bet On in OK
Unfortunately, the state compacts proposed, prohibit wagers on in-state college games and teams. Oklahoma residents have a great deal of interest in college sports, particularly the basketball and football programs for the Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Oklahoma Sooners.
NCAA in Oklahoma
However, betting on other Big XII college basketball and football games will still attract interest at Oklahoma sports betting sites as there will be plenty of bettors who follow other state college programs.
Oklahoma NFL Betting
There are no NFL teams in Oklahoma, but the state is close to Texas, which could lead to betting interest in the Houston Texans or the Dallas Cowboys.
Oklahoma NBA Betting
Oklahoma does have one professional sports team – in the shape of the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder. As such we would certainly expect that betting on the NBA will get even more action than NFL and other pro leagues.
Oklahoma Daily Fantasy Sports
As it stands, the Oklahoma state law does not explicitly prohibit daily fantasy sports betting. As such, the main operators will accept entries from Oklahoma state residents.
In fact, the Oklahoma State House and Senate did make moves to regulate daily fantasy sports by proposing Oklahoma sports betting bills HB 2278 and SB 1369. However, they both fell through as a result of tribal interference.
Despite legal hurdles, any fantasy sports enthusiasts that live in Oklahoma can legally sign up with the following DFS platforms:
- CBS Sports
- DraftKings
- FanDuel
- PlayDraft
- Yahoo! Fantasy sports
Horse Racing Betting in Oklahoma
Horse racing and horse racing betting are legal in the state of Oklahoma and there are three active horse racing tracks in the state…
- Fair Meadows Tulsa
- Remington Park
- Will Rogers Downs
All three of these race tracks offer punters simulcast betting. Remington Park and Will Rogers Downs are both owned by tribes and offer casino games. Remington Park is operated by the Chickasaw Nation, whilst Will Rogers Downs is operated by the Cherokee Nation.
Gambling Tax in Oklahoma
The state of Oklahoma considers that any income generated from betting on a ‘game of chance’ is a taxable income that will be subject to the same tax rates as income acquired from any other source. The tax laws in Oklahoma include several different income brackets but your exact tax rate will depend on a number of factors such as your total yearly income, marital status and available deductions. You should expect to pay anywhere between 0.5 and 5% in tax.
Tribal casinos will usually pay anywhere between 4% up to 10% of their gross revenue.
Casino Law in Oklahoma
The casino laws in Oklahoma are much more lenient than their sports betting laws.
Online Casinos
Oklahoma State hasn’t yet regulated online gambling – mostly due to lobbying by the state’s Native American tribes who do not want to compete with those multi-billion dollar online gaming companies. As it stands, these tribes hold a lot of power over the state gambling industry, so things are looking positive in this particular area.
Land-Based Casinos
The state offers local tribe operated casinos, that give players access to all of the popular games such as slot games, baccarat, roulette, poker and more. In total, there are over 100 different gambling locations within Oklahoma and every one belongs to the descendants of Native American Tribes that settled in the state over a century ago.
Another gambling option available to residents of Oklahoma is the state-run lottery. You could also play a game of bingo at one of the state casinos or at a charity gaming hall.
The Oklahoma race tracks also offer a selection of casino games.
Oklahoma Sports Betting Timeline
July 2019: 29 tribes sent a letter to Stitt in the belief that their compacts would automatically renew on January 1st.
The Chickasaw, Chocktaw and Cherokee tribes filed a federal lawsuit and they were joined by another nine tribes. The Otoe-Missouri and Comanche Nation were both a part of this but after renegotiating their contracts, they dropped out.
Eventually, Stitt included sports betting as part of the new compact for numerous tribes, but they turned it down. Attorney General Mike Hunter went on to publish an official opinion that stated Stitt had no authority to ‘authorize gaming activity prohibited by state law’. This sent sports betting in Oklahoma straight back to the drawing board.
2022: Despite several efforts, legal Oklahoma Sports Betting is still not available
Oklahoma Sports Betting FAQ
Is Sports Betting Legal in Oklahoma?
No, currently sports betting in Oklahoma is not legal.
Is There Anywhere I Can Bet on Sports in OK?
No, currently there are no regulated Oklahoma betting sites available in the state.
Can I Bet on Sports on My Mobile in Oklahoma?
No, currently mobile sports betting isn’t yet legal in Oklahoma and you won’t be able to access any regulated and licensed Oklahoma sports betting apps. Any betting sites that claim it is legal in the state will be operating without a license as unregulated offshore sports betting sites. These give you no customer protection, which means you can’t guarantee your bet will be paid out.
Can I Bet on Sports at a Casino in Oklahoma?
No, legal OK sports betting isn’t available at any casino in Oklahoma.
