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.
Oklahoma isn’t done yet.
The Sooners’ bats kept them in the Atlanta Regional with an emphatic showing in the Atlanta Regional on Sunday.
Deiten LaChance’s grand slam highlighted OU’s eight-run fourth inning, which turned Sunday’s contest against No. 2-overall seed Georgia Tech on its head.
Prior to the fourth, it looked as if it was going to be the Yellow Jackets’ night.
The hosts plated five runs in the third inning to take a 7-2 lead, and a call went against OU in the bottom of the third.
How to Watch Oklahoma vs. Georgia Tech in the Atlanta Regonal Final
- When: Monday, June 1
- Time: 2 p.m.
- Channel: ESPNU
Trey Gambill had snaked a single through the Georgia Tech infield to plate a run and cut the lead down with two outs, but just before the pitch was thrown, the third base umpire raised his arm to indicate there had been a pitch clock violation.
Lucky to have just gotten out of the situation with a ball, Yellow Jacket pitcher Jackson Blakely struck Gambill out, which understandably did not go over well in Oklahoma’s dugout.
The setback only galvanized Skip Johnson’s Sooners, however.
OU responded by sending 11 batters to the plate in the bottom of the fourth, and the Sooners took a 10-8 lead.
It was an advantage they never relented.
Oklahoma added an insurance run in the seventh and four more in the eighth to ensure that the Sooners would head back to the team hotel with a decisive Game 7 of the Atlanta Regional on the mind.
Johnson will have a big choice to make in who starts the do-or-die contest on Monday afternoon (2 p.m., ESPNU).
In OU’s first game against The Citadel on Sunday, Johnson rolled with freshman Nick Wesloski.
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He pitched seven innings to get the Sooners into Sunday night’s contest against Georgia Tech. Oklahoma’s big offensive showing against the Bulldogs meant that Johnson could make any choice necessary in relief, so he threw Reid Hensley and Jaden Barfield for an inning each to seal the win.
Against the Yellow Jackets, OU started Cameron Johnson. He faced just three batters, allowing two runs on two hits, before Oklahoma turned to Jackson Cleveland.
Cleveland tossed three innings in relief. OU also used two innings of Gavyn Jones and LJ Mercurius picked up a save by pitching four innings on Sunday night.
The winner between Monday’s battle will meet 15-seed Kansas in next weekend’s Super Regionals. Georgia Tech would host the Jayhawks with a win, whereas the Sooners would head to Lawrence next weekend if they are able to oust the top seed left in the NCAA Tournament.
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Brent Venables got Oklahoma back to the College Football Playoff in 2025, and while the season was a massive success, merely making the 12-team field isn’t good enough for anyone in Norman — Venables included.
The Sooners enter 2026 with something that has been missing on both sides of the ball for a few years: continuity.
OU returns its starting quarterback, John Mateer, for the first time since Dillon Gabriel started Venables’ first two seasons as head coach.
Offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle is back, and while Venables lost cornerbacks coach Jay Valai to the Buffalo Bills, Venables has everyone else back on his staff and he’s the architect of the defense.
The schedule will be tough again, but expectations are high for Venables’ fifth team at Oklahoma.
Here are three areas the Sooners need to improve to get back in the national championship picture.
Run the Ball
Venables hasn’t shied away from OU’s issues running the football.
He’s put improvement in the rushing attack at the forefront all throughout the offseason, from working to sharpen the mentality of the offense to bringing in pieces like right tackle E’Marion Harris and a virtually new tight end room to help the cause.
More consistency on the ground will take pressure off Mateer’s shoulders.
It will not only allow OU to control the clock and give its defense a rest, but it will also open up the passing game downfield if the second and third levels of opposing defenses truly have to worry about bottling up the run and the pass.
The inability to run the ball was the Sooners’ most glaring issue in 2025, so there is plenty of room for improvement this fall.
Limit Mateer’s Turnovers
At times, Mateer had to do everything for OU’s offense in 2025.
There were memorable moments, but Mateer also had a handful of head-scratching mistakes.
He threw a career-high 11 interceptions a year ago, and his downturn in turnovers in November coincided with the Sooners’ employing conservative game plans.
His worst moment came in the loss to Texas, where he threw three picks, but that performance came 17 days after thumb surgery, where he clearly was unable to throw the ball downfield with real accuracy.
But he threw a pick in each of his first three games on questionable decisions, then he threw a nearly catastrophic pick against Tennessee when the Sooners were just trying to milk the clock late.
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He tossed another three picks against LSU, and the pick six he threw against Alabama helped the Crimson Tide roar all the way back after digging a 17-point hole in the College Football Playoff.
Mateer’s freewheeling nature produced incredible moments, and that will lead to risky throws. The tradeoff in those moments is usually worth it, but he can cut down on his misfires elsewhere to find a balance between pushing the envelope and taking care of the football.
Avoid the Back-breaking Special Teams Plays
Oklahoma was excellent on special teams in 2025 for the most part.
Kicker Tate Sandell won the program’s first Lou Groza Award for his incredible season, and special teams played a big role in massive victories, like Isaiah Sategna’s first punt return in Tuscaloosa that set OU’s offense up deep in Alabama territory.
But the few special teams lapses were monumental.
Texas effectively put away the Red River Showdown by returning a punt for a touchdown, though Venables correctly pointed out a key block in the back that wasn’t called that helped spring the touchdown.
But in the Cotton Bowl, the call stood, and it’s the kind of play that cannot happen when lining up against the best competition on the schedule.
Then, in the CFP, punter Grayson Miller oddly dropped the football, leading to a blocked punt. Alabama was able to take that play and start clawing its way back into the contest.
Doug Deakin has done a phenomenal job with the Sooners’ special teams units, but there are still improvements to be made in 2026.
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