One of Oklahoma’s slogans is “We have been Outrunning Twisters since 1889.”
There was a twister in 2020 when the state was close to legalizing sports gambling at tribal casinos. This would have been a huge moment for sports fans in Oklahoma. Unfortunately, it fell through and there hasn’t been much positive traction recently.
The biggest city is Oklahoma City with about 700,000 people. It hosts the only major professional sports team in the state, the Oklahoma City Thunder. There are four Division 1 college programs in the state. Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oral Roberts and Tulsa.
The Sooner State was close to legalizing sports gambling once. They have some hurdles to clear if they want to make it happen, but there is some positivity that the important stakeholders will eventually figure it out and get it done.
Yes, gambling is legal in Oklahoma. There are 30+ tribal casinos in the state where gambling is permitted. OK also allows gambling on horse races at the track, off-track betting and online. However, there is no legal sports betting in the state as of now.
In 2020, two tribes negotiated with the Governor to be granted retail sports betting. This was taken to court by other tribal groups and lawmakers. This “legal sports betting” became invalid. Most recently House Bill 3008 was introduced in 2022. It had some support but fizzled out. Approval of tribal gaming groups will be needed to ensure success in 2023. Residents of Oklahoma who would like to legally bet on sports can visit Colorado and Kansas.