This article was updated on April 23 after a vote in the Senate.
Oklahoma Senators on Wednesday rejected a measure that aimed to bring sports betting to Oklahoma through tribal partnerships, despite the bill receiving support from key stakeholders in the state, including the state’s NBA franchise.
Sen. Bill Coleman and Rep. Ken Luttrell garnered support from federally recognized tribes and the Oklahoma City Thunder for House Bill 1047, legislation that proposed to authorize retail wagering at tribal casinos and online wagering through partnerships between tribes and operators. The measure also had support from public universities.
Coleman said in a Tuesday statement that the accord meant the state had never been closer to legalizing sports betting.
However, on the Senate floor on Wednesday, legislators voted 27-21 against passing the bill. Several senators spoke up to oppose the bill on the grounds of either its tribal model or fears over gambling addiction.
Oklahoma sports betting potential framework
HB 1047 proposed legalizing sports wagering in Oklahoma by supplementing the state’s Model Gaming Compact, allowing tribes to retain their exclusive right to gaming.
Under the bill, 8% of adjusted sports betting revenue would have been remitted by tribes through exclusivity fees for both retail and online wagering. Free play and promo deductions would have been capped at 40% of the “gross sports betting transaction total less winnings.”
Oklahoma tribes that did not offer online or retail sports wagering would have received a donation that is derived from sports betting revenue. Under HB 1047, 3% of total adjusted sports betting revenue was to be split equally on a quarterly basis between tribes that “do not offer competitive sports betting at any time during the same month” and tribes that offer non-house banked table games.
Hoops wagers get special rule
The measure also included a unique provision tied to NBA betting markets.
HB 1047 would have required that revenue derived from NBA and WNBA wagers be allocated to the Strong Readers Fund, which supports early childhood literacy programs. The revenue generated from non-NBA or WNBA wagers is distributed to a higher education fund, student development programs, a Thunder-backed tourism fund and workforce initiatives.
HB 1047 also mandated a monthly deposit to the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. The first $25,000 of all fees received each month would have gone to the department. The measure did not provide an exact potential launch date for wagering.
Major operator voices support of Oklahoma bill
The latest effort to bring online sports wagering to Oklahoma was supported by FanDuel. The Flutter-owned brand noted the opportunity to generate additional tax revenue, while providing consumer protections for online wagering.
“Oklahomans are already engaging in sports betting on unregulated offshore platforms—legalization would bring this activity into a safe, regulated market,” said a FanDuel spokesperson in a statement to SBC Americas.
“This effort could generate $75-100 million in revenue for the state over five years that does not exist today, helping to fund various priorities across Oklahoma communities. FanDuel welcomes the opportunity to partner with tribal nations to build a responsible framework and encourages lawmakers to move this effort forward”.
Gov. Stitt opposes tribal-focused sports betting bill
However, despite its supporters, HB 1047 always faced an uphill battle for final approval from Gov. Kevin Stitt. The governor previously voiced opposition to a tribal-focused sports betting measure despite a willingness to authorize the vertical in Oklahoma. Stitt vows to only sign a piece of legislation that delivers an open sports betting market without tribal partnerships.
“Governor Stitt has been clear that he will only support a free market approach to sports betting in Oklahoma,” said a spokesperson for Oklahoma’s governor. “No legislation has reached his desk yet, so we won’t comment on specifics of pending legislation”.
Previous legislative efforts failed in Oklahoma
In 2023, Stitt published a plan to bring online sportsbooks to Oklahoma through gaming licenses awarded to operators with tribes having exclusive rights to land-based wagering. Under his plan, online sportsbooks were taxed at 20% with licenses set at $500,000.
Stitt’s desire to create an open model for online sports wagering in Oklahoma caused previous legislative efforts to legalize the vertical to fall short. Last year, Luttrell sponsored two online sports betting measures that passed in the House with bipartisan support.
However, the measures failed to progress in the Senate beyond the committee stage. The measures faced a grim reality as Stitt said he would “absolutely veto” any measures that proposed providing tribes with exclusive control to offer sports wagering in the state.
In 2025, Coleman also introduced a sports betting bill. The measure, Senate Bill 585, proposed allowing Oklahoma tribes to offer retail sports betting at tribal casinos. Meanwhile, online sports betting would be offered on tribal land.
SB 585 also benefited the Thunder by allowing the team to acquire a sports betting license and partner with an operator. The bill was approved by the Senate, but Coleman withdrew the bill before it reached the House.
