State Senate Blocks Oklahoma Sports Betting Bill

Oklahoma’s legislative leaders thought they had a deal to make Oklahoma sports betting a reality. The rest of the Oklahoma state Senate had other ideas.

The Oklahoma Senate voted down a proposal to legalize sports betting in Oklahoma by a 27-21 margin, ending any hopes of sports betting in the Sooner State in 2026. House Bill 1047 would have expanded the state’s gaming compact with its Native American tribes to include sports betting, but that appears dead for this year.

Even if the bill had passed the Senate, it would have faced an uphill climb to becoming law. Oklahoma governor Kevin Stitt has a frosty relationship at best with the state’s tribes, and had made it known he would veto HB 1047 as written.

That would have required a ⅔ vote to override him. The Oklahoma House provided just enough to reach that threshold without a vote to spare, but the Senate is a long way from that margin.

What Would HB 1047 Have Meant for Oklahoma?

HB 1047 would have allowed mobile sports betting in Oklahoma, governed by the state’s many Native American tribes. Oklahoma currently allows brick-and-mortar casinos on tribal lands, but does not allow any form of mobile betting.

HB 1047 would have followed similar legislation to Wisconsin. In that state, which also has a heavy tribal presence, sports betting is now legalized through servers set up on tribal lands. Like Oklahoma, Wisconsin has laws restricting gambling to tribal lands.

In recent days, Oklahoma sports betting advocates took heart from a recent deal with the tribes, the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder and bill sponsors Sen. Bill Coleman (R-Ponca City) and Rep. Ken Luttrell (R-Ponca City). That deal would have given the tribes complete control over sports betting in Oklahoma.

The state would make its money from an 8% cut of all wagers in Oklahoma, except for the NBA and WNBA. Any revenue earned from bets on the NBA or WNBA would instead go to funding Oklahoma’s Strong Readers Act. That earned the support of the Thunder, the state’s lone major professional team.

How Far Is Oklahoma Sports Betting From Becoming Law?

That depends on what happens in the 2026 elections. Stitt remains an opponent of the tribes’ exclusivity on gaming. He has said he wants sports betting in Oklahoma, but he prefers an open market rather than letting the tribes control betting in the state.

However, Stitt is term-limited and cannot seek re-election. Without him around, Oklahoma legislators might no longer need to worry about overriding a veto from the governor’s desk. That would mean that Coleman only has to find four votes willing to flip, instead of 11.

Coleman, the Senate majority whip, also has to win re-election himself. He’s one of 24 state senators up for re-election this year, and the vote will decide how many more votes Coleman needs to flip to try again.

Things are both more and less complicated in the Oklahoma House. Luttrell is retiring and will not be part of next year’s efforts. However, the bill easily cleared the House by a ⅔ margin. Barring significant changes to the lower chamber’s makeup, passing a new version of HB 1047 through it shouldn’t be difficult.

What Are the Next Steps?

Coleman seems resigned to defeat for 2026, as Stitt’s veto threat makes it unlikely he can flip enough votes. Oklahoma’s legislature meets annually, and the new session will begin in early February.

Coleman will presumably try again, and is likely to use the framework of HB 1047 if election results favor his position. If not, he’ll probably need to rewrite the bill while keeping all supportive parties happy.

In practice, the earliest date for Oklahoma sports betting would be August 2027.