While a major hurdle remains, an Oklahoma state senator is looking to keep the conversation about sports betting legalization alive.
Sen. Bill Coleman told LSR last month he plans to introduce an Oklahoma sports betting bill next year. Coleman said the bill’s details still need to be ironed out, but that will happen through conversations with the state’s 39 federally recognized tribes and Gov. Kevin Stitt.
Coleman said he believes Rep. Ken Luttrell will co-sponsor the bill in the House, as he has done in the past. Luttrell led sports betting legislation through the House in 2023, but a rift between the tribes and Stitt sidelined the bill.
Because of state-tribal compacts, the 39 tribes have a say in any gambling issue in Oklahoma, Coleman said. Coleman and Luttrell’s previous proposal required at least four tribes to update their compacts to include sports betting.
