Oklahoma Sports Betting Outlook Appears Bleak in 2025

The outlook for Oklahoma sports betting entering next year is…complicated. And that may be putting it kindly.

Sports betting will remain on the agenda, no doubt, once the state’s legislature convenes at the start of 2025. In fact, many are certain another Oklahoma sports betting bill will be up for consideration. That is the good news for anyone holding hope it gets legalized.

The bad news? Well, the bad news might be everything else associated with it.

Relations between Governor Kevin Stitt and the tribes do not seem to have improved. On top of that, even if they do, there seems to be a fundamental disconnect on what legal sports betting in Oklahoma should look like.

It all leads to a question many will not want to ask: Is the latest push for sports betting in The Sooner State bound to fail before it even officially starts?

The Relationship Between Governor Stitt and Oklahoma Tribe Remains on Rocky Footing

If tensions between Governor Stitt and the state’s tribes are thawing, well, you could have fooled us. During the recent Global Gaming Expo, head of the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association Matt Morgan offered some comments that continue to paint the dynamic in a less-than-ideal light.

On the contrary, when referencing the bill backed by Stitt that’s currently in deferment, Morgan essentially called the governor’s actions disrespectful. From Jill R Dorson of iGaming Business:

‘The proposal has few supporters and [tribes] reacted negatively. Morgan at the time said in a statement that Stitt ‘has not engaged in meaningful and respectful government-to-government discussion with tribes.’ Senator Casey Murdock introduced a bill based on Stitt’s plan in February. The bill was referred to the rules and appropriations committee, but never got hearings. ‘Upon initial review, we do not believe the plan represents the best interests for the people of Oklahoma or the tribal nations that have done so much to support the state,’ Choctaw Nation Chief Gary Batton said in a statement to the Oklahoma Voice.”

It is pretty easy to understand the tribal perspective on Oklahoma sports betting. They have exclusive gaming rights in The Sooner State. Proposing an Oklahoma sports betting initiative without consulting or collaborating with them makes zero sense.

To be honest, it is wild that Stitt would bother continuing down this path. His past efforts to broker gaming compacts with only select tribes failed miserably. We have also seen what happens when initiatives do not feature tribal collaboration elsewhere. Tech industry “bros” tried proposing a California sports betting bill in time for the 2024 election. It was widely shot down by tribes and legislature members.

Yet, while the absence of collaboration here is a big deal, it may not be the largest obstacle.

What Would Oklahoma Sports Betting Even Look Like?

For argument’s sake, let us assume that Governor Stitt and Oklahoma tribes are willing to ignore past tension and collaborate on a sports betting bill. That would be good news. But a friendlier dynamic will not suddenly fix the opposing views held by both sides.

Governor Stitt wants any gambling initiative to capitalize on the rise of online sports betting in the United States. This makes sense in a vacuum. Multiple outlets estimate that over 90 percent of wagers across the United States are processed via mobile betting sites. Having only retail locations inherently limits accessibility. By extension, this also limits tax revenue for the state.

However, as tribes correctly point out, they have gaming exclusivity in Oklahoma for a reason. Allowing top online sportsbooks in the U.S. to enter The Sooner State would infringe upon their market share. And “infringe” may even put it lightly. DraftKings and FanDuel routinely make up more than 75 percent of the betting handle for states in which they operate. Tribal casinos cannot compete with their reach, simply because they’re not a global sports betting business.

This matter will not suddenly go away just because Governor Stitt is on speaking terms with tribes. And, again, it does not appear that is even true. Without massive concessions on one side of this fence, even a friendly negotiation over the future of Oklahoma sports betting seems futile.

Tides Can Always Turn in Oklahoma

Make no mistake, we are not trying to portray the Oklahoma sports betting debate as completely hopeless or irreversibly doomed. Other states have faced similar problems and figured out workable models anyway.

Of course, these “workable models” almost always end in retail sports betting getting legalized without online wagering. Sometimes, online sportsbooks in the USA follow suit after a certain period of time. But look at sports betting in Wisconsin. They have offered legal sports betting for multiple years—and still do not provide online services.

Truth be told, we should not expect the Oklahoma sports betting situation to play out any differently. They have the second largest tribal presence in the United States, behind only California. That doesn’t just give tribal operators leverage. It may give them the final say, free and clear, on what Oklahoma sports betting will look like from its inception.

Can Governor Kevin Sitt come around to that idea? Or is there a scenario in which the two sides can compromise and allow online sportsbooks in Oklahoma to operate in limited or partnership capacities? Perhaps. Anything can happen in these instances, after all. But before we start talking about negotiations, there must first be collaboration. There is none of it yet, and if that stays the same, then yes, Oklahoma sports betting efforts in 2025 are doomed to fail.

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