Oklahoma Lawmakers Reject Sports Betting Bill
Jesse M. Cox Published 23/04/2026
Oklahoma lawmakers have turned down a bill that would have legalized sports betting in the state. House Bill 1047 proposed to make sports betting legal in Oklahoma. However, State Senators voted 27-21 against approving the bill.
The House originally passed the bill in 2025. Even if the bill had been passed by the Senate, that wouldn’t have been the final step in the process. The bill would have been returned to the House for further consideration before it would have been sent to the governor's desk to be signed into law. However, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt has made it clear that he is opposed to the current plan for the legalization of sports betting.
Oklahoma Governor doesn’t like the idea of a tribal monopoly on gambling
Stitt is steadfastly opposed to providing a 100% monopoly on gambling in the state to Oklahoma’s tribes. House Bill 1047 would have expanded the current state-tribal gambling agreement to include sports betting. Tevis Hillis, a spokesperson for Stitt, described the current compact with Oklahoma’s tribes as a “bad gaming compact that lacks transparency and fair market rates.”
This issue is just the latest in years of battles between Governor Stitt and Oklahoma’s tribal leaders. Stitt has complained publicly that he’s not been included in the discussions about plans for the legalization of sports betting in the state.
Tribal leaders counter that failure to include tribal governments in any plan to legalize sports betting would be in breach of the current gaming compacts in place between tribal nations and the state.
How House Bill 1047 would have worked in Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association was backing the bill, as was the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder, and the state’s major public universities.
Under the terms of House Bill 1047, Oklahoma would have offered both in-person and online sports betting. The tribes would be given 100% control over sports betting, including the negotiation of deals with online sportsbooks such as FanDuel and DraftKings.
Eight percent of all sports betting revenue would go to the state. The percentage of that revenue wagered on NBA and WNBA games was to go to the Strong Readers Fund to support early childhood literacy programs.
Revenue from other wagering would’ve gone to state universities that compete in NCAA D-1 athletics. Monies were to be earmarked for student development programs, workforce initiatives and a tourism-focused fund, which would’ve awarded grants through the Thunder. Funds would’ve also been dedicated to the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services to help people with compulsive gambling disorder.
Proponents of legalization note that Oklahomans are already betting on sports
Republican Senator Bill Coleman and Rep. Ken Luttrell were the backers of House Bill 1047. Coleman noted that by voting down the bill, the state is sending gambling revenue to other states and to illegal offshore sports betting sites.
”Oklahomans are already placing bets through other platforms or driving out of state to make legal wagers,” Coleman said in a statement. “It’s time for all of us to come together to get behind this proposal that protects consumers and keeps those dollars here in Oklahoma to benefit our state.”
After the bill failed to pass, Coleman made a motion to reconsider the bill at a later date.
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