It seems sports betting won’t be coming to the Sooner State anytime soon.
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt took a shot at the state’s tribes over sports betting. The state’s top lawmaker spoke to the media last week and reaffirmed his stance to veto any tribal-approved bill to legalize the industry. He also shared that he wasn’t disappointed by the failure of the latest round of sports betting bills.
The latest shot fired by Stitt continues a battle that started back in 2023. The Governor was pushing to legalize sports betting by proposing a gaming compact that allowed for both tribal and commercial operators. While he claimed to have the approval of two tribes, the others accused him of trying to use backdeals to cut them out of the industry. It has led to animosity from both sides, resulting in every sports betting bill failing in the state legislature.
Stitt pointed the finger at the tribes for delaying the legalization of the industry, insisting that they are simply trying to wait out his term.
“We analyzed the 30 or 40 states that actually have sportsbooks and put a great plan together,” Stitt said of his 2023 proposal. “We set it out to have more of a free-market approach. (But) as I’ve said before, I think the big casinos, the big bosses, are waiting until I’m out of office. So we’ll see what happens, I guess, in 2027.”
Stitt Leaving Office in 2027
Don’t count on Governor Stitt backing down on the issue anytime soon. The Governor is in his second term, which is the limit for the position in the state of Oklahoma. That means he isn’t going to be running for re-election in 2026, regardless of how the battle over sports betting plays out.
While many Republicans have been openly frustrated by Stitt’s refusal to drop his veto threat, the party likely won’t be hurt. The state has not elected a Democrat since 2006, and re-elected Stitt to a second term by a margin of over 13%. With other issues dominating the political landscape, fallout from failing to legalize the industry will be minimal.
