Is Sports Betting Legal In Oklahoma?

There are a lot of theories as to why the middle of America is called the heartland. One that's probably not true, but good to think about nonetheless is that in middle America, people tend to root real hard for their sports teams, and they show a lot of heart in the stadium every time one of them takes the field. All you have to do is attend an Oklahoma Sooners game to see it in action, and that can naturally lead to a lot of Oklahoma residents wanting to know a lot about sports betting in Oklahoma, and whether or not it can be done.

The most important thing to know about sports betting in Oklahoma is that contrary to popular opinion, it is not against the law. Both the state and federal courts have ruled that it is unlawful to facilitate sports betting, meaning any bookies or loan sharks who stand to make profits off of sports betting without actually wagering may be prosecuted by the law, but no bill has ever been written or passed that can prosecute a citizen merely for participating in sports betting in Oklahoma, so any bet you make is perfectly legal according to the letter of the law.

Land-Based Sports Betting in Oklahoma:

This does present another problem, though. Even if it's legal to participate in sports betting, that doesn't seem to do you any good if it's illegal for anyone to provide you a place to do it. Unfortunately for Oklahoma residents, outside of a potentially expensive trip out of state, the only way to participate in land based sports betting would be to find access to an underground, illegally operated sportsbook.

This course of action is not recommended, despite the fact that mere participation in an illegal sportsbook cannot be prosecuted, it is not a safe place to trust with your money. It's not against the law to invest in a pyramid scheme, but that doesn't make it a prudent choice.

And while Governor Stitt tried to legalize land-based sports betting in 2020, his efforts were unfruitful. The compacts he signed with two of the state’s tribes had their sports betting language taken out. There hasn’t been any legislative efforts since to make land-based sports betting in Oklahoma since.

Legal Online Sports Betting in Oklahoma:

Fortunately, there is an easy solution to the problem. There are many online sportsbooks that accept residents of Oklahoma, and since they are based in foreign territories are able to get past the state laws that restrict any land based operations from serving Oklahoma residents. In contrast to their closer by but illegal counterparts, a lot of online sportsbooks have been around for more than a decade and have spent a long time building up a loyal customer base by providing a legitimate business dedicated to hosting American citizens in legal, legitimate sports betting.