Oklahoma

OKC Thunder pitches plan to legalize sports betting in Oklahoma, earn share of wagers

Published

4 months ago

October 24, 2025

OKC Thunder pitches plan to legalize sports betting in Oklahoma, earn share of wagers

As lawmakers in Oklahoma continue to debate how to legalize sports betting, the Oklahoma City Thunder wants to play a primary role in the potential new industry.

Oklahoma remains one of 11 states without legal sports betting as legislators, the governor, tribal governments and other industry insiders like the Thunder have failed to reach an agreement.

Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt has promised to veto any bill that is “exclusively giving a monopoly to the tribes,” while Matthew Morgan, chairman of the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association, contends that failing to include tribal governments in legalized sports betting would breach established gaming compacts.

The Thunder’s push to join the industry comes amid increased scrutiny of sports betting in the NBA after former and current coaches and players were charged Thursday, Oct. 23 with conspiring to commit fraud, money laundering, illegal gambling and extortion.

The FBI secured multiple indictments for more than 30 people related to their alleged role in the scandal, including Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier. The NBA placed Billups and Rozier on “immediate leave” after they were indicted.

A Thunder-Lakers game in January 2024 is also part of the investigation after a federal grand jury alleged in one indictment that defendant Marves Fairley placed a $100,000 bet against the Lakers after getting inside information from former NBA player Damon Jones that “one of the Lakers’ best players” was injured.

OKC Thunder would earn 0.25% of total handle under proposed model

Lawmakers in Oklahoma were already planning to discuss the future of sports betting in the state on Thursday, before details of the federal indictments came to light and immediately raised questions about the influence of gambling in the NBA and in other sports leagues.

No one who spoke at Thursday’s hearing mentioned the federal indictments.

Speaking to lawmakers, a representative for the OKC Thunder suggested authorizing the Thunder or a tribal consortium the ability to offer a single retail and mobile sports betting license to tribal and state approved operators, such as DraftKings or FanDuel.

Will Syring, vice president of corporate sponsorships for the Thunder, said any license would require all revenues generated from bets placed on the platform to be shared with the collective tribes, and 0.25% of total handle would be provided to the Thunder.

“In other markets, teams are getting direct licenses,” Syring said. “If they’re getting licenses, they are getting paid off of those bets. The league also only allows you to take a percentage off the top.”

Syring said the Thunder believes allocating 0.25% is an equitable way to ensure a healthy gaming market and allow the Thunder to remain competitive.

Every state that borders Oklahoma, except for Texas, has legalized sports betting, including Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Missouri and Arkansas.

But Morgan said the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association doesn’t believe any license can go through a non-tribal operator under terms of the State-Tribal Gaming Act.

“If we can find a way forward and work with the Oklahoma City Thunder, that’s what we want to keep in mind as we move forward,” Morgan said. “They’re a big part of the discussion and someone we want to ensure that we listen to their voice and their thoughts.”

Under the proposal outlined by Syring, the consortium or NBA team license would be geofenced to non-tribal territory in Oklahoma, and each tribal territory would be governed by any individual tribe and operator agreement where tribes could choose to operate a sports betting product within their territory.

But Morgan said lands eligible for sports betting under the Indian Gaming Regulation Act would be limited based on differing legal and treaty histories between tribes. Some tribes in Oklahoma have reservation statuses while others do not.

Under the Thunder’s model, exclusivity fees would be paid to the state under the existing compact structure, which grants the state a share of revenue generated by certain types of tribal gaming. The deal net Oklahoma more than $210 million last year, with most of the money going to education.

“At the end of the day, all Oklahomans will now have the ability to safely place bets on their phones or at retail locations anywhere in Oklahoma,” Syring said. “We would be thrilled to support the solutions moving forward.”

Oklahoma Lottery wants to sell products online

During the hearing, Jay Finks, executive director of the Oklahoma Lottery Commission, said participating in mobile sports betting doesn’t make sense for the commission, because it doesn’t fit the commission’s model on managing risk and maximizing revenue to the state.

But he said mobile sports betting could open the door for selling lottery tickets online.

“As we’re looking at this expansion into gaming and as we look at Oklahoma evolving that, don’t forget about us, because [with] the addition of sports betting, forgetting about the Oklahoma Lottery does have the opposite effect, and that could take away the revenue that we’re driving for Oklahoma education.”

Source link

Click to comment

Oklahoma

Kansas State women’s basketball stuns Oklahoma State, moves on to Big 12 semis

Published

12 hours ago

March 6, 2026

Press Room

Kansas State women’s basketball stuns Oklahoma State, moves on to Big 12 semis

Kansas State women’s basketball’s fairytale run will continue.

A day after rallying to keep their Big 12 Tournament run alive, the 12th-seeded Wildcats got hot in the fourth quarter to upset fifth-seeded Oklahoma State in a 74-73 quarterfinal win on Friday, March 6, at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.

After Oklahoma State made a game-tying 3-pointer with five seconds left, it accidentally fouled Tess Heal with 1.3 seconds remaining, sending her to the line. She split her free throws, missing the backend, leading to a Cowboys miss on a desperation heave.

The Wildcats will play in Saturday’s 3 p.m. semifinal against the winner of Friday afternoon’s matchup between league-champion TCU and ninth-seeded BYU.

Kansas State got a special shooting performance from freshman Jordan Spieser, who showed why she was considered a five-star prospect, as she finished with 21 points and five made triples. After Oklahoma State cut the Wildats’ lead to two with 46 seconds left, Speiser made her final 3-pointer with 17 seconds left.

This came after the Wildcats went on a 9-0 run to overcome a four-point deficit with 4:41 left in the fourth. Taryn Sides’ layup with 1:48 left put the Wildcats up by five. Kansas State’s largest deficit was 13 points early in the third quarter.

With the win, Kansas State became the first 12-seed to beat a four-seed since 2008. It came a day after the Wildcats scored the final 21 points to overcome a 14-point deficit against No. 21 Texas Tech.

Wyatt D. Wheeler covers Kansas State athletics for the USA TODAY Network and Topeka Capital-Journal. You can follow him on X at @WyattWheeler_, contact him at 417-371-6987 or email him at wwheeler@usatodayco.com

Source link

Oklahoma

5-seed Oklahoma knocks off Florida 82-64 to advance to the SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament quarterfinals

Published

1 day ago

March 6, 2026

Press Room

5-seed Oklahoma knocks off Florida 82-64 to advance to the SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament quarterfinals

GREENVILLE, South Carolina –

The 5-seed Sooners used a 10-0 run to start the third quarter to pull away and beat the 12-seed Gators 82-64 in the second round of the SEC Tournament.

Massive Third Quarter

OU outscored Florida 27-7 in the third quarter to build a big lead before winning by 18. The Sooners started the quarter on a 10-oh run that was highlighted by an epic fast break bucket.

Beers Joins Elite Company

Oklahoma center Raegan Beers reached a historic milestone Thursday night in her 100th career start. The All-SEC standout became the third player in Oklahoma history—and the only active Division I player—to surpass 2,000 career points and 1,000 rebounds.

With the achievement, Beers joins legendary Sooners Courtney Paris (2,731 points, 2,032 rebounds) and Molly McGuire (2,147 points, 1,071 rebounds) in the exclusive club.

Beers now totals 2,003 points and 1,207 rebounds in a remarkable college career that includes two seasons at Oregon State and two at Oklahoma.

In the win over Florida, Beers had 18 points and seven rebounds.

Super Freshman

Freshman Aaliyah Chavez continued her impressive debut season on Thursday. The only freshman named to an All-SEC team this week, Chavez finished with 17 points, four rebounds and three assists.

She has now scored in double figures in 24 straight games, showcasing remarkable consistency in her first college season.

Chavez also went a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line, extending her SEC record for consecutive made free throws to 57. She now sits just two shy of the Oklahoma program record, currently held by Taylor Robertson.

Next Up

Oklahoma will face No. 6 LSU on Friday at approximately 1:30 p.m. CT on ESPN. The matchup marks a chance for the Sooners to respond after the Tigers handed them their largest loss of the season earlier this year. On Jan. 18, LSU defeated Oklahoma 91–72 in Norman, making Friday’s game a highly anticipated rematch.

Source link

Oklahoma

PSO shares safety, preparedness tips for Oklahoma Severe Weather Awareness Week

Published

2 days ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

PSO shares safety, preparedness tips for Oklahoma Severe Weather Awareness Week

As Oklahoma Severe Weather Awareness Week continues, Public Service Company of Oklahoma is urging customers to take steps now to stay safe and prepared as the threat of spring storms returns.

In a news release dated March 5, 2026, PSO said it is monitoring the potential for severe weather across its service area this week.

The company said severe thunderstorms, large hail, high winds and isolated tornadoes could cause power outages.

PSO said crews are ready to restore power “safely and quickly” if outages occur.

The utility encouraged customers to review storm preparedness tips, including what to do if the lights go out; download the company’s mobile app to stay connected and report outages; sign up for outage alerts and email updates; and review power line safety.

“We’re always monitoring weather conditions and preparing our system to handle whatever Oklahoma’s spring might bring,” said Dwayne Apple, PSO vice president of distribution operations. “Now is a great time to review your emergency plans, check your supplies, and make sure your loved ones and neighbors are ready too.”

PSO said it prepares for severe weather year-round by trimming trees near power lines, upgrading equipment and installing smart technology intended to help reduce outages and improve response times.

The company also said it recently held a comprehensive storm drill to prepare employees for the unique challenges of Oklahoma’s weather.

PSO said the exercise included real-time response activities such as weather forecasting, resource management and restoration planning, aimed at ensuring the company can respond safely and quickly when storms strike.

Source link