Oklahoma
Can you bet on sports in Oklahoma? Legalization could be near the goal line
This Sunday’s Super Bowl is widely recognized as the biggest day for legal sports betting, consistently shattering records in the billions.
Many fans in Oklahoma are expected to place wagers on the game, but the state itself will not see any of that revenue.
Capitol Reporter Haley Hetrick is examining the odds that sports betting could become legal in Oklahoma this year.
One bill could change everything
Only a handful of sports betting bills have been introduced at the state Capitol, but supporters say just one needs to pass to move Oklahoma forward.
Sen. Bill Coleman believes the state is close to legalizing sports betting and says he is ready to act.
“I think we’re first down and goal on sports betting in Oklahoma from about the six-yard line.”
There’s been a multitude of reasons that sports betting hasn’t been legalized in Oklahoma, including everything from moral reasons to the parties involved to digging their heels in during negotiations.
Coleman says his perspective shifted after personally traveling out of state to place a wager.
“I took a drive to Wichita, Kansas, just south of there to the casino, to make a sports bet.”
That experience, he said, highlighted the money Oklahoma is losing to neighboring states.
“I realized we’re losing money in the state of Oklahoma. We’re losing it to out of state.”
Betting is already happening in Oklahoma
Supporters of legalization argue that sports betting is already taking place in Oklahoma, just not in a way that benefits the state.
Sports betting is one step closer to being legal in Oklahoma. Representative Ken Luttrell is back this year with gaming legislation after his bill failed last year, saying he’s hopeful the new bill will make it through this time around.
One example is Kalshi, an online prediction market where users can wager on outcomes ranging from sports to politics.
Users can even place wagers on the state’s next governor.
“You can do anything on this thing, and it’s perfectly legal. The state of Oklahoma gets zero revenue from Kalshi. The state of Oklahoma has no say in how it’s regulated,” Coleman said.
Kalshi and similar platforms operate as prediction markets, classifying their offerings as financial derivatives rather than sports betting. That distinction allows them to bypass state-level restrictions. Market data shows more than $2 billion is traded on Kalshi every week.
“The longer we let them entrench themselves into this market, the less money we’re going to be able to take in what sports betting does become legal in the state of Oklahoma.”
Multiple stakeholders, one major hurdle
Legalizing sports betting in Oklahoma involves more than lawmakers alone.
In addition to legislative approval and the governor’s signature, any plan must also align with existing gaming compacts involving 39 tribal nations.
The Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association said delays have been frustrating.
Chairman Matthew Morgan says each group involved has its own priorities. Customers want access similar to what exists in 39 other states, while lawmakers are focused on availability statewide.
“The longer it’s drawn out, it has been a little bit frustrating for us, through the Oklahoma Gaming Association, because, you know, we feel like we’ve been at the table and ready to have productive and respectful conversations,” Morgan said.
For tribal leaders, the key issue is ensuring any plan does not violate existing gaming compacts.
What legalization could look like
Under current proposals, only tribal nations would be eligible for sports betting licenses. Professional sports teams, such as the Oklahoma City Thunder, could participate only as partners.
Oklahoma Senate passes Bill 585, opening a path for the OKC Thunder to receive a sports betting license. The proposal estimates $20 million in annual revenue for the state.
“I think under our proposals, what we’ve advocated for, you would see the vandals, the DraftKings, the fanatics, the Caesars all come into state to partner with the tribal licensee,” Morgan said.
Morgan believes an agreement could still be reached during this legislative session, opening the door for legal sports betting by the end of 2026.
“I think that there are a couple of bills out there that I would tell you, let’s do 3 or 4 tweaks you were probably there on. I mean, the bones in the foundation are there in a good way. Just needs a few tweaks here and there from my perspective.”
The legislative path forward
Ultimately, supporters say it would take just one successful vote in the Senate to move the process forward.
Two bills are currently under consideration. House Bill 1047, known as the “original plan,” would allow tribal nations to offer retail and online sports betting, with the state receiving a 10% revenue fee. House Bill 1101 offers a referendum path, sending the decision to voters if the original plan fails or is vetoed.
Both proposals would allocate gaming revenue toward education, mental health services, and responsible gaming initiatives.
Oklahoma lawmakers are considering several plans to legalize sports betting, including tribal and state-run options.
KANSAS CITY, MO — Christian Coleman reached high but couldn’t grab the alley-oop pass from Jaylen Curry.
But it glanced off his fingertips, hit the backboard, then the rim and fell in the basket.
It wasn’t the prettiest clutch play by the Oklahoma State forward, but it was as important as any of them.
Coleman’s alley-oops layup with just over two minutes remaining helped the 14th-seeded Cowboys stretch their lead on the way to a 92-83 win over No. 11 Colorado in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament on Tuesday at T-Mobile Center.
Had Coleman gotten his hands on the ball, it would have been a massive exclamation-point jam, yet as he rose for it, he could tell it was out of his reach.
“But God had his hands around it and it kinda fell in for me,” Coleman said with a laugh. “So we count it.”
Coleman finished with 17 points and a season-high 14 rebounds, backing guard Anthony Roy, who had 17 of his game-high 24 points in the second half. Curry added 15 points, five rebounds and four assists.
Late in the game, the lanky 6-foot-8 Coleman moved to center as coach Steve Lutz was forced to put a small lineup on the floor.
The Cowboys were without their two most-used bigs, Parsa Fallah and Andrija Vukovic, because of injuries. Their freshman replacements, Benjamin Ahmed and Mekhi Ragland, found themselves in foul trouble.
“He’s versatile,” said OSU point guard Kanye Clary, who had seven points, six assists and five rebounds. “He can guard the 1-5. He switches and plays hard.
“When he’s motored up, I don’t really think there’s nobody who can stop him. He’s the only person who can stop himself. And tonight, he went out there and showed how impactful he is.”
The Cowboys (19-13) will take on sixth-seeded TCU at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday as they try to once again keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive.
“Our mentality has been the same every game in the Big 12, because the league is so darn hard,” Lutz said. “If you look forward, you have no chance.
“I’m proud of the guys for sticking together and banding together, because we’ve had some key people, teammates, go down and we had to piece it together. I’m just happy for them and excited to face TCU tomorrow night.”
Here are three takeaways from the OSU victory:
Anthony Roy settles in for big game
In an odd twist, Colorado was hit with a technical foul for not submitting its lineup in time prior to the game, and that put Roy on the free throw line before the tipoff.
He missed the attempt, but it was the only one he’d miss all night, hitting the next 10.
Roy hit some rough patches throughout the first half, at one point getting quickly subbed out after missing an awkward 3-pointer from the corner.
But in the second half, he found his rhythm, going 5 of 6 from the floor with a pair of 3-pointers and a couple tough drives for layups.
“He got to the free-throw line and made 10 of 11,” Lutz said. “I thought he did a good job with that. And we tease him a bunch about his defense, but I thought at the end of the game when it mattered, he played good defense. And he rebounded the basketball.”
Freshmen Benjamin Ahmed, Mekhi Ragland play key minutes
With the Cowboys thin in the frontcourt, Ahmed made his third straight start, and Ragland was the first center off the bench.
Ahmed went to the bench after getting his fourth foul with 7:20 to play and didn’t return, but still played his second-most minutes in a game this season at 21. He finished with seven points, six rebounds and a blocked shot.
“Parsa going down, he spoke to me about it that I have a big role to fill,” Ahmed said. “It’s a learning process for me. I’m just excited to see what the future holds for me.”
Ragland had four points, a rebound and an assist in eight minutes — his most against a Big 12 opponent.
“It felt good being able to step up,” Ragland said. “I’ve wanted to show myself and show what I can do all year.
“The first couple up-and-downs, you’re a little nervous, but that goes away fast. It’s just basketball at the end of the day, so I was ready for the moment.”
OSU by the numbers
∎ The Cowboys are now 29-1 under Steve Lutz when scoring at least 81 points. The only loss came to TCU earlier this year, 95-92 in overtime at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
∎ The 92 points scored Tuesday are the most by OSU in the Big 12 Tournament. The previous high was 87, scored against Colorado in 2005.
∎ Coleman’s 14 rebounds were his season high and tied his career high.
∎ Adding a new combination Tuesday, OSU has used 19 different starting lineups this season.
∎ Clary led the team in plus-minus at 17, followed by Vyctorius Miller at 14.
Scott Wright covers Oklahoma State athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Scott? He can be reached at swright@oklahoman.com or on X at @ScottWrightOK. Sign up for the Oklahoma State Cowboys newsletter to access more OSU coverage. Support Scott’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com or by using the link at the top of this page.
Oklahoma State vs. TCU
TIPOFF: 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo. (ESPNU)
OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — Severe weather is still expected tonight across much of our area. In fact, the threats have increased since this morning due to more clearing skies in western Oklahoma. More sunshine means more instability to work with.
SPC Severe Weather Outlook. (KOKH)
Due to this, the Storm Prediction Center has increased all hazards for our part of Oklahoma. The strongest storms could produce winds up to 80 mph, baseball size hail, and a few tornadoes. This would be from essentially now until early Wednesday morning.
SPC Tornado Outlook. (KOKH)
The tornadic potential has increased across much of the area generally along and east of I-44/I-35.
The general thinking is that discrete supercells will form in western North Texas in the 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM window and begin to make their way towards southwest Oklahoma. These storms will then quickly go from being individual cells to more clusters of storms. This would increase the wind potential and make it possible for brief spinup tornadoes to form. These QLCS (quasi-linear convective systems) tornadoes can form and develop quickly.
Once the storms are generally east of I-35, there won’t be any more cells anymore and we’d be looking at a larger squall line. Check out the below model images for a look at the evolution of the storms tonight:
There is also the potential for very heavy rain with these storms too.
A cold front will sweep the storms away to the east tonight. After the front, strong northerly winds are possible. Due to this, there is a Wind Advisory Wednesday for parts of our area.
Wednesday Wind Gusts. (KOKH)
These strong winds will increase the fire danger Wednesday afternoon.
To stay up to date with the latest forecast, be sure to download the Fox 25 Weather App.
Download the Fox 25 First Warning Weather App. (KOKH)
Stay with Fox 25, we’ve got your back.
A legal fight is escalating between former Oklahoma City municipal attorney Orval Jones and the city over how the Oklahoma City Police Department handled cash seized during arrests.
The city has filed a motion asking a judge to strike Jones’ claims, arguing he has no legal standing and calling the criminal-case process a “restitution scheme.”
Jones says he spent eight years “cleaning up” the OKCPD property return process from 2017 to March 2025 until he resigned “due to duress” in September.
He filed an affidavit claiming OKCPD seized more than $400,000 in cash from arrests and deposited it into the city’s bank account.
In his audit, Jones made lists of seized cash amounts, including amounts under $250, from $250 up to $500, and more than $500.
In its motion, the city argues Jones is no longer an attorney for the city or the district attorney’s office, is not an owner of any of the property “properly disposed of,” and has not suffered an injury.
The city also alleges Jones filed his motion with “half-truths” and without support or proof.
Jones responded in a rebuttal affidavit that the issue involves injury to the state, the county, other counties, crime victims, and property owners who received no notice. Jones said, “I had a professional duty to tell the court that these filings were legally defective and potentially fraudulent. I cannot stay silent.”
In an email in April 2025, OKCPD Chief Ron Bacy said the department had 288,000 overdue property and currency claims needing a disposition update, and that many investigators assigned to those cases are no longer employed with the department. Bacy said the department developed programs to assist the Property Management Unit.
Court documents show more than 350,000 pieces of property held in the Property Management Unit, more than $2.5 million in the unit’s bank account, and that 80% of the property and money are due for disposition.
If a judge agrees with Jones, the funds may be returned to the owners.
If the judge agrees with the city, the case will be dropped.
The city and OKCPD had not responded to open records requests submitted Feb. 10.
When asked whether the city conducted or requested an internal review into the allegations, the city said it does not comment on pending litigation.
A hearing has been set later this month.
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