Oklahoma
Sports betting still isn’t legal in Oklahoma. Could that change this year?
What we know now about the state of sports betting in America
Billions of dollars are wagered on sports betting in the country every year. But some states are still on the sidelines. Here is what we know.
Some Oklahoma lawmakers want to bring the state off the sidelines of sports betting and into the game. They’re facing long odds, however.
Gov. Kevin Stitt wants to open Oklahoma’s betting market to outside competitors. Tribal officials say doing so would violate their gaming agreement with the state.
Without a consensus, efforts to legalize sports betting appear unlikely to gain traction during the legislative session this spring.
“I believe it’s still in the governor’s court and still in the tribes’ court,” said Sen. Bill Coleman, who supports legalization.
Sports betting is allowed in 38 states, including four that touch Oklahoma, and surging in popularity. Nearly 29 million U.S. adults planned to place a legal online bet on this year’s Super Bowl, according to industry estimates. The American Gaming Association also estimated a record $23.1 billion would be wagered on the game.
Still, a sports betting bill has never crossed the finish line in Oklahoma. The biggest sticking point has been how much money the state should receive for allowing the bets.
A voter-approved compact gives tribal nations exclusive rights to operate nearly all forms of gaming in the state. In exchange, Oklahoma receives a share of the money those operations bring in — about $200 million last year.
More: Mobile gaming in Oklahoma? Chickasaw Nation launches app at Winstar
Talks of expanding the compact to cover sports betting have been caught in a long-running rift between Stitt and many tribal leaders. They’ll have to work out an agreement to move forward, said Coleman, a Ponca City Republican.
“Once we get past that, let me at the table, and let’s get going,” he said.
At the same time, tribal leaders are waiting for Stitt and lawmakers to come up with a serious proposal they can consider, said Matthew Morgan, who chairs the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association. The group represents 29 of the 33 Oklahoma tribal nations that conduct gaming.
“They do not want to negotiate multiple times, with individual lawmakers, individual chambers, the governor,” Morgan said. “We really need them to be on the same team on this, as well. I think that’s how this moves forward in a way that’s efficient.”
Two sports betting bills up for consideration in the Oklahoma Legislature
Two competing sports betting bills are currently up for consideration, though neither has moved forward in the early weeks of the session.
The first is House Bill 1027, backed by Coleman and Rep. Ken Luttrell, a fellow Ponca City GOP lawmaker. Both have described the measure, which seeks to add sports betting on to the state-tribal gaming compact, as a work in progress.
“We would be willing to change the bill to reach any agreement that is being made,” Coleman said.
More: Vetoes, lawsuits and fake memes: Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt’s year working with tribes
The bill passed through the House last year with the understanding that it eventually would be updated to reflect agreed-upon terms, but it stalled in the Senate absent a deal. It would need to advance through the Senate Rules committee to move forward, Coleman said.
The second proposal is Senate Bill 1434, introduced by Sen. Casey Murdock, a Republican lawmaker from Felt in southwest Oklahoma. His bill largely mirrors the plan unveiled by Stitt in November.
The governor proposed allowing tribal casinos to take sports bets in person and allowing different operators to accept online game wagers. Tribal operations would pay 15% of revenues to the state, while online companies would pay 20%.
“I promised Oklahomans if we pursued sports betting, we would do it right, and this plan does just that,” Stitt said when he announced the proposal.
Would Oklahoma tribal nations be on board with proposed sports betting bills?
Murdock did not respond to a message to discuss the bill.
Coleman said he couldn’t see the proposal drawing any support from tribal nations, because most sports bets are placed online, not in person. He also said the tax rates proposed by Stitt likely wouldn’t pencil out for many tribal nations, because sportsbooks are expensive to set up and run on thin profit margins.
Bringing in outside competitors would violate the state-tribal gaming compact, Morgan said.
If that happened, tribal nations would file breach of compact claims, he said, which could leave Oklahoma liable for monetary damages under the terms of the compact. Tribes could also stop making exclusivity payments to the state, which add up to millions of dollars every month.
“If we’re going to continue to debate on who the operators are, I don’t think they’re serious,” about working out a sports betting agreement, Morgan said.
More: Governor announces a plan for sports betting in Oklahoma, but many hurdles lie ahead
The topic hasn’t emerged as a top priority for House and Senate leaders in the midst of bigger debates over tax cuts. Neither Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat nor House Speaker Charles McCall responded to questions left with their spokesmen about efforts to legalize sports betting this year.
Coleman said he believes he’s worked out a way to pass sports betting through the Senate, although his plan would have to overcome some hurdles.
“We want one item from the tribes that we don’t have right now, and the Senate would move forward with sports betting,” Coleman said, declining to name any specifics. “But it’s all kind of moot right now if the governor and tribes don’t have an agreement.”
He said he’s shared an updated draft bill with the governor’s office that incorporates some of Stitt’s ideas, such as prohibiting betting on the performance of individual athletes.
The growth of sports betting in other states, including neighboring Kansas and Arkansas, is increasing the pressure on Oklahoma to eventually act, he said. Support for gambling is also building in Texas.
“If we don’t have sports betting before Texas does, that would be a major loss in revenue,” Coleman said.
Molly Young covers Indigenous affairs. Reach her at mollyyoung@gannett.com or 405-347-3534.
NORMAN — The Oklahoma Sooners liked their wide receiver room a year ago. They want 2026 to be even better.
Isaiah Sategna’s return helps that desire. Earning experienced pass catchers Trell Harris and Parker Livingstone via the transfer portal gives you added play makers. But after the Sooners Spring Game on Saturday, an unlikely hero emerged.
When Jahsiear Rogers flipped from Penn State to Oklahoma last December, he drew the usual excitement that comes with a new commitment. But few expected him to climb the depth chart this quickly, even with the injuries that hit Emmett Jones’ room.
Rogers did just that and more on Saturday. He led all pass catchers with five receptions for 70 yards in Oklahoma’s annual Red/White game.
“I knew it was time to showcase,” Rogers said after the game. “It was amazing to see the fans and get used to the OU way. I’m a playmaker. They really want to put the ball in playmakers hands. I pretty much knew I had to lead the white team.”
Rogers got the ball rolling early. On the second offensive play for the white team, backup quarterback Whitt Newbauer rolled to his right wide, then stopped and looked towards the middle of the field where he saw Rogers running open. Newbauer connected with Rogers for a 39-yard gain.
Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news.
With Rogers on the white team, he is running against (most of) Oklahoma’s starting defense. As fate would have it, on that 39-yard reception, Rogers beat his favorite teammate to compete against — Reggie Powers.
“He is just a leader, good guy,” Rogers said of Powers. “Me and him go after it every day in practice. Reggie is strong. When I come at him, I have to really come at him.”
Rogers’ big play over Powers was the second-longest catch of the spring game — Sategna’s 50-yard reception that appeared to be a touchdown before coaches pulled it back to set up a red-zone rep. The other four catches weren’t flashy, but they were important in their own way, and Rogers looked like he belonged on the field.
“I love it. As long as I can get the ball, I can be me. I love it,” Rogers said. “When I am on the field, I am ready to go. I am ready to be a playmaker.”
The season is still months away, and Rogers hasn’t earned a spot high on the depth chart yet. A strong spring and an encouraging Red/White Game can only lead to early playing time if he carries that momentum into summer and fall camp.
More experienced players will return from injury and receivers who’ve been in the program for a few years will have an extra leg-up.
But Rogers is taking everything in stride and leaving no stone unturned in his development.
“Just learning from the older guys,” Rogers said. “Manny Choice, Isaiah Sategna, Trell Harris, Mackenzie Alleyne. Really all of them. We lean on each other, learn from each other. That is kind of how our room is.”
Follow
The Oklahoma baseball team is back in the mix and trending upward.
After a rough few weeks in Southeastern Conference play, the 14th-ranked Sooners have won three of their last four games to get to .500 at just beyond the halfway point of the league slate. Friday’s 9-6 win over Missouri allowed Oklahoma to move to 8-8, tied with three other teams for eighth in the standings.
Friday’s win wasn’t truly that close, even. OU took a 9-3 lead into the ninth before Mizzou made it somewhat interesting with three runs in the frame. Two of them came with two outs, though, and Mason Bixby induced a groundout with the bases empty to hold on.
The large edge came via a home run-happy night. The Sooners popped four over the wall at Kimrey Family Stadium, including three in a four-run seventh inning that gave OU a four-run lead.
Jason Walk, who hit one of the four homers, had the best day at the plate. He went 2 for 5 with the shot, three RBIs and a run. Camden Johnson, who also homered, went 2 for 3 with a walk, a double and two runs, and Dasan Harris went 2 for 4 with a home run, two RBIs, and three runs. Trey Gambill hit the Sooners’ other jack.
Oklahoma jumped out to a four-run lead in the second behind four hits and a walk. Missouri helped the Sooners out with an error that resulted in a bases-loaded situation and three unearned runs registered to Tigers starter Josh McDevitt.
The runs were more than enough for Oklahoma’s LJ Mercurius, who pitched six strong innings, giving up three runs on six hits with no walks and nine strikeouts.
Game 2 in the series is set for 4 p.m. Saturday and the finale will be played Sunday at 2 p.m., weather permitting.
Just miles off Route 66 in Rogers County stands one of Oklahoma’s most unusual roadside attractions: a 90-foot concrete totem pole built largely by one man over more than a decade.
Ed Galloway’s Totem Pole Park is home to what is widely described as the world’s largest concrete totem pole, created by Oklahoma folk artist Nathan Edward Galloway during his retirement years.
The park sits near Chelsea and continues to draw visitors traveling Oklahoma’s stretch of Route 66.
A project decades in the making
Credit: Rogers County Historical Society
According to the National Park Service, Nathan Edward Galloway was born in 1880 in Springfield, Missouri. He later worked as a manual arts teacher at Sand Springs Home before retiring in 1937 to property near present-day Chelsea in Rogers County.
After retiring, Galloway began building what would become Totem Pole Park. Using concrete, steel rebar, wood, and red sandstone, he created a series of colorful, highly decorated totems and structures across the property.
Atlas Obscura reports that Galloway began construction in 1938 with the goal of building durable totem poles from sturdy materials, and he surrounded his land with tapered concrete monuments and decorative features.
Between 1937 and 1948, Galloway constructed the park’s centerpiece: a 90-foot-tall totem pole carved with bas-relief designs. Travel Oklahoma describes it as a Route 66 icon and a state landmark.
Eleven years and 90 feet of concrete
Credit: Rogers County Historical Society
The main totem took roughly 11 years to complete, according to Atlas Obscura. The structure is made of red sandstone framed with steel and wood, then covered with a thick concrete exterior.
The tower features more than 200 carved images, including representations of birds and Native American figures facing the four cardinal directions. Near the top are four nine-foot figures representing different tribes.
Galloway’s version differs from traditional totem poles of the Pacific Northwest, which are generally carved from red cedar.
The structure rises from the back of a large, three-dimensional turtle. The turtle base was carved from a broad sandstone outcrop on the site and painted in bright colors.
The totem is hollow and rises about nine stories, with the ground level measuring about nine feet in diameter. Inside, plastered walls feature painted murals of mountain-and-lake scenes and bird totems, along with Native American shields and arrow points. At the top, the cone is open to the sky.
Picnic tables supported by small concrete totems, a totem barbecue fireplace, and gate structures designed to resemble fish fill the park grounds.
The Fiddle House
Credit: Rogers County Historical Society
Beyond the towering pole, Galloway’s artistic interests extended into music and woodworking.
An 11-sided structure known as the “Fiddle House” sits on the property and resembles a Navajo hogan, according to the National Park Service. The building houses many of Galloway’s hand-carved fiddles and other creations.
The Rogers County Historical Society says the Fiddle House Museum retains many of Galloway’s handcrafted violins and artifacts.
From neglect to restoration
Credit: Rogers County Historical Society
Galloway continued working on the park until his death in 1961. After he died, the site gradually fell into disrepair.
In 1989, the Rogers County Historical Society acquired the property. A major restoration effort took place from 1988 to 1998, with art conservators and engineers studying the structures and repairing damaged materials.
Additional repainting and preservation projects began in 2015.
Today, Totem Pole Park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It remains open year-round with free admission and is managed by the Rogers County Historical Society.
-
Lifestyle4 minutes agoL.A.’s unofficial Statue of Liberty is a Fashion Nova billboard off the 10 Freeway
-
Politics10 minutes agoOrdered free, still locked up: Judges fume as Trump administration holds ICE detainees
-
Science16 minutes agoA renewed threat to JPL as the Trump administration tries again to cut NASA
-
Sports22 minutes agoAfter 55 years as a broadcaster in L.A., Randy Rosenbloom is leaving town
-
World34 minutes agoBulgaria votes in eighth election in five years
-
News1 hour agoReal estate investors are buying up long-term care facilities. Residents can suffer
-
Detroit, MI3 hours agoFormer Piston shows Detroit what they’re missing as he dominates next to LeBron
-
San Francisco, CA3 hours agoEastbound I-80 closure in San Francisco snarls traffic, slows business