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.

More: Gov. Kevin Stitt says he’ll veto sports betting bills that give the tribes exclusive power

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.

Advertisement

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.”

NORMAN – The SEC released its preseason poll and All-SEC teams Wednesday, as voted on by the league’s coaches, who could not vote for their own teams. Oklahoma’s Raegan Beers earned a spot on the first team, Payton Verhulst was named to the second team and the Sooners were picked to finish fourth.
 
On Oct. 13, a panel of media that cover the league picked Oklahoma to finish fifth and named Beers a first-team honoree.
 
Beers, a senior from Littleton, Colo., was named an All-SEC First Team selection last season after averaging 17.3 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and 1.1 assists per game last season. A finalist for the 2025 Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Award, she led the SEC in player efficiency rating (35.9) and was the only player in the nation to average at least 31.0 points and 16.0 rebounds per 40 minutes. She was also a preseason All-SEC first-team selection by the league’s media and an AP All-America honorable mention.
 
Verhulst, a redshirt senior from De Soto, Kan., was an All-SEC Second Team selection last season when she averaged a career-high 14.9 points per game, shooting 42% from the field and 35% from deep. She was one of only two players nationally to average at least 14.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists in under 30 minutes per game.
 
Oklahoma was picked fourth by the coaches, trailing Texas, South Carolina and LSU, and ahead of Tennessee, who was picked fifth.
 
Led by fifth-year head coach Jennie Baranczyk, Oklahoma returns the second-highest percentage of scoring (60.3%) in the SEC, led by Beers (17.3 PPG), Verhulst (14.9) and Sahara Williams (10.6). The Sooners enter the season ranked sixth in the Associated Press preseason poll, their highest ranking to open a season since 2009-10. Baranczyk also added the nation’s No. 8 recruiting class, highlighted by the country’s No. 1 freshman, Aaliyah Chavez.
 
Fans can get an early look at the Sooners in an Oct. 29 exhibition vs. Oklahoma Christian set for 6 p.m. in Norman. Admission to the exhibition is free as no television broadcast is scheduled. Fans can listen to a radio broadcast on the Sooner Sports Radio Network and Varsity App.
 
Oklahoma opens the regular season Nov. 3 against Belmont at Lloyd Noble Center at 4:30 p.m. CT.

Season tickets are on sale now starting at just $99 for general admission. Single-game tickets and mini plans are also available. For more information, contact the OU Athletics Ticket Office at 405-325-2424, email outickets@ou.edu or visit SoonerSports.com/Tickets.

Courtside seats for the 2025–26 season are now available on the west sideline and south baseline near the Oklahoma bench. Fans interested in more information should contact the Sooner Club at (405) 325-8000 or soonerclub@ou.edu.

Stay connected with Oklahoma Women’s Basketball by following the Sooners on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Want to make an impact? Join the 3-Point Club and help power the program’s continued success.

MEDIA POLL

1. Texas
2. South Carolina
3. LSU
4. Oklahoma
5. Tennessee
6. Ole Miss
7. Kentucky
8. Vanderbilt
9. Alabama
10. Florida
11. Georgia
12. Mississippi State
13. Texas A&M
14. Missouri
15. Auburn
16. Arkansas

PRESEASON ALL-SEC (COACHES)

First Team All-SEC
Flau’jae Johnson, LSU
Mikaylah Williams, LSU
Raegan Beers, Oklahoma
Joyce Edwards, South Carolina
Ta’Niya Latson, South Carolina
Talaysia Cooper, Tennessee
Madison Booker, Texas*
Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt

* SEC Preseason Player of the Year

Second Team All-SEC

Essence Cody, Alabama

Liv McGill, Florida

Teonni Key, Kentucky

Clara Strack, Kentucky

Cotie McMahon, Ole Miss

Payton Verhulst, Oklahoma

MiLaysia Fulwiley, South Carolina

Rori Harmon, Texas

Oklahoma State is set for more Big 12 action this weekend, but it could make the inevitable official.

On Saturday, OSU will head to Lubbock to face No. 14 Texas Tech. The Red Raiders are coming off their first loss of the season but still have arguably the best team in the Big 12. As one of the frontrunners for the conference’s spot in the College Football Playoff, they shouldn’t have many issues taking care of business against an OSU team that hasn’t won a Big 12 game since 2023.

Along with being on a years-long drought in conference play, the Cowboys haven’t beaten an FBS team since September 2024. With this being the eighth game of the season, that also means OSU is down to its final hopes of making a bowl game.

Of course, the Cowboys have effectively been out of bowl contention since losing to Tulsa. While at that point there were still plenty of games left to play, that loss showed that OSU might not be ready to compete with anyone of note. 

Advertisement

That assumption turned out to be entirely correct, as OSU hasn’t had another game within one possession since that loss to its in-state rival, which also led to the firing of Mike Gundy. While falling out of bowl contention seemed inevitable for the Pokes for much of the season, this weekend could be when it officially becomes reality.

Sitting at 1-6, the Cowboys would need to rattle off five straight wins to get to bowl eligibility. Considering they will start that journey as nearly 40-point underdogs in Lubbock this weekend, it’s safe to say that won’t happen.

While this is the reality OSU football is in at this point, it’s still a stark reminder of how quickly things can change in college football. Just two years ago, OSU won 10 games, made the Big 12 title game, which led to an appearance in the Texas Bowl, marking the Pokes’ 18th straight bowl appearance.

The last time OSU missed bowl games in consecutive seasons was 2000-01, when Bob Simmons’ final season and Les Miles’ first season at the helm both ended with losing records. Of course, Gundy missed a bowl game only twice in his 20 full seasons as the Cowboys’ head coach, but this year likely would have been his third had he gotten the opportunity to see it through.

While nothing about OSU’s outlook will change on Saturday when the Cowboys are likely eliminated from bowl contention, it is still a reminder of how far the program has fallen.

Advertisement