Oklahoma lawmakers are weighing new proposals to legalize sports betting, according to the local paper, The Oklahoman. The city’s NBA franchise, the Oklahoma City Thunder, is looking to help move it forward. The team has pitched a plan that would authorize them to operate a licensed betting platform, such as DraftKings or FanDuel, while sharing revenue with tribal governments.
Oklahoma remains one of just 11 states without legalized sports betting, as a long-running power struggle continues between Governor Kevin Stitt, tribal leaders, and state lawmakers. Stitt has repeatedly said he will veto any proposal granting exclusive betting rights to tribal nations, arguing the market should be open to competition.
Tribal leaders, however, insist that leaving them out of the framework would violate existing gaming compacts that already govern casino and wagering operations across much of the state.
During a recent legislative hearing, Oklahoma City Thunder Vice President Will Syring outlined a proposal that would allow the team, or a tribal consortium, to manage a single retail and mobile sports betting license.
Under the plan, revenues from wagers would be shared with participating tribes, while the Thunder would receive 0.25% of the total betting handle. Syring said the model reflects practices in other states where professional teams benefit from betting partnerships and argued it would help keep the Thunder financially competitive within the NBA landscape.
The Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association has warned that any sports betting license issued outside tribal control could violate the State-Tribal Gaming Act.
Association Chairman Matthew Morgan said tribes are open to collaborating with the Thunder but stressed that any agreement must honor tribal sovereignty and existing gaming compacts.
The Thunder’s plan would geofence betting access to non-tribal lands, while allowing individual tribes to operate their own betting platforms within their territories. The proposal would also preserve exclusivity payments to the state under current compacts, which generated more than $210 million in revenue last year.
This plan offers a potential middle ground. By allowing the team, or a consortium that includes tribal partners, to operate a shared sports betting license, the plan blends state and tribal interests rather than granting control solely to one side.
This structure could preserve tribal sovereignty while also giving the state and professional sports organizations a stake in the growing gaming market. If adopted, it might finally break the political stalemate that has kept Oklahoma from joining most of its neighboring states in legalizing sports betting.
If the Thunder’s proposal moves forward, Oklahoma players could eventually gain legal access to sports betting for the first time. Residents could place bets through a licensed platform tied to the Thunder or a tribal partner, ensuring that wagers are regulated, transparent, and taxed.
This would help keep betting dollars inside the state, rather than flowing to neighboring markets like Kansas and Arkansas, where sports betting is already legal.
