Despite the best efforts of certain lawmakers, legal sports betting won’t be coming to Oklahoma in 2025. Two bills failed to progress before Thursday’s deadline, and the Senate failed to approve any other bills before adjourning in the afternoon.
would have allowed for online and retail sportsbooks on tribal land
Representative Ken Luttrell got approval for his pair of bills in the House last month before they stalled in the Senate. They would have allowed for online and retail sportsbooks on tribal land by amending gaming compacts, with a provision that would have sent the matter to a public vote if the governor vetoed the legislation.
A big thorn in the side of these efforts was Governor Kevin Stitt, who didn’t want to give a monopoly to tribes, preferring an open market model.
He remarked that he never had any input on Luttrell’s bills, hinting that he wouldn’t sign them into law even if they reached his desk, and not everyone was being fully represented in the discussions.
Now the matter is dead for another year, and the Oklahoma legislature does not reconvene until February 2026.
