Overview
- The Oklahoma Senate, which voted 27-21 on Wednesday, rejected an amendment to House Bill 1047 to legalize sports betting.
- The plan would have added a supplement to the state’s Model Gaming Compact, the agreement that governs tribal gaming, to allow in‑person sportsbooks and mobile apps and to let tribes partner with brands like FanDuel and DraftKings.
- Backers included the Oklahoma City Thunder, a supermajority of tribes in the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association, and OU and OSU, with revenue earmarks for those groups plus literacy and problem‑gambling programs.
- Opponents cited rising gambling addiction, confusion over where tribal reservation lines apply in eastern Oklahoma, and concerns that colleges beyond OU and OSU would miss out on funding.
- The effort is now stalled for this session, and future attempts must contend with Gov. Kevin Stitt’s stance against tribes‑only betting as 39 states and Washington, D.C., already allow some form of it.