Best Betting Sites in Oklahoma — Legal Prospects and Future Plans
Oklahoma hosts the United States’ second largest Native American population, behind California. Thanks to this demographic and thanks to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1989, Oklahoma’s betting industry has grown to have America’s biggest tribal gaming market with 126 casinos scattered across this ancient land.
Unfortunately, sports betting isn’t legal in Oklahoma. Although many efforts have been made by tribal groups to establish a legal sports betting market, these have been stymied by the state. Throughout this article, we will explore the reasons for this lack of Oklahoma betting sites, current laws, and what the future holds for sports betting in the Sooner State.
Before we dig deeper, however, we must point out that we only recommend reputable and licensed sites for each state, so you’re always in safe hands. That being said, let’s dive in and find out about the best betting sites Oklahoma residents have to choose from!
Legal Online Betting Options for Oklahoma Residents
While legal Oklahoma online sports betting may be currently out of reach for sports fans in the Sooner State, hope is not lost. There is still a multitude of legal gambling options that are available for Okies to enjoy at their leisure. State residents can take part in tribal casino games, poker, racetrack betting, lottery, bingo, and many other forms of charitable gambling.
Over the next sections, we’ll cover each of the alternatives to betting sites Oklahoma residents can engage with in greater detail.
Legal Daily Fantasy Sports in Oklahoma
While the concept of daily fantasy sports (DFS) differs from that of other sports betting contests, all unlicensed betting is banned in Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Attorney General has yet to issue a firm position on this popular pastime since the Senate was first introduced to a potential DFS bill in 2017.
As of this writing, the Oklahoma State Legislature is still considering bills about the future of legal DFS in the state. Since tribal gaming interests appear to be primarily opposed to the activity, it’s anyone’s guess when sports fans will see legitimate Oklahoma sports betting apps delivering DSF.
Even though DFS has not yet been legalized in the state, the government has not explicitly condemned it, leaving it in legal limbo or a gray area. DraftKings and FanDuel, two major sportsbook operators who have thrived from this legal ambiguity, have been able to keep the activity available to Oklahomans for the time being.
If sportsbooks are legalized in the states, you can expect DraftKings and FanDuel to provide two of the best betting sites Oklahoma has to offer, too.
Offshore Betting Sites — Don’t Get Scammed!
Although online gambling is banned in Oklahoma, there has been an increase in the number of unregulated offshore betting sites during the past few years. If you bet with an illegal bookie based within the state’s borders, you are technically breaking the law and could face criminal prosecution.
Even though there are a plethora of offshore betting sites that Oklahomans can use like Bovada, BetOnline, or MyBookie, none of them have been certified or licensed by the state of Oklahoma.
As a result, they can be written off as unreliable because they offer no guarantees of player safety or fairness for its clients. We strongly advise against placing any bets at any of these sites. Why take the chance of being scammed out of your hard-earned dollars?
143 Land-based Casinos and Counting
When the federal government established the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act in 1989, they probably did not anticipate the influx of tribal land casinos that would follow. Oklahoma currently has 33 tribes that control and operate 143 brick-and-mortar casinos spread throughout 50 Oklahoma counties.
The first traditional casino debuted in 1992, with a modest assortment of electronic games and bingo. However, tribal casinos were not legally permitted to provide live dealer table games until 2004. This legalization resulted in an immense surge in the popularity and expansion of tribal territory casinos.
Part of the agreement with the state was that these casinos may continue to operate as long as they continued to produce money, and time has demonstrated that these casinos are a goldmine, generating millions of dollars in gambling revenue taxes annually. Furthermore, they benefit the local economy by attracting out-of-state gamblers looking for a piece of the action.
Racetrack Betting: Still Going Strong
Pari-mutuel horse racing was the first to be re-established after all forms of gambling were abolished in Oklahoma in 1916. As a result, you might understand that horse training is a prestigious business in Oklahoma, and that everything else related to horses isn’t just prosperous but an integral element of the state’s gambling tapestry.
This indeed rings true of the state’s racing industry, as there is a superb mix of live and simulcast racing for betting fans despite there being a lack of Oklahoma sportsbooks. There are a lot of big races held at Remington Park in Oklahoma City each year, as it is the state’s largest track.
There are a few smaller tracks and racinos scattered around Oklahoma, and when live racing is not taking place, there are plenty of other betting possibilities like table games and slots to entertain punters instead.
Limited Selection of Poker Rooms
Despite the Sooner State holding more casinos than any other state in the US, only a few Oklahoma casinos are allowed to operate poker rooms and offer real-money poker games like Texas Hold’em or Mississippi Stud to their clientele.
If you’re looking to play online poker for real money or at a legal land-based poker room, you’ll be hard-pressed to find them in Oklahoma because its gambling regulations are among the strictest we’ve encountered when it comes to poker-based gambling.
As a result of Oklahoma’s stringent anti-gambling regulations, a lot of legitimate online poker companies based in legal US betting states are wary of players from Oklahoma.
While, online poker is not specifically addressed in the state’s gambling and betting laws, there are often consequences for any illegal, unlicensed gaming, which are often rigorously enforced. Oklahoma may take years to allow online poker because of the current conservatism in the state’s attitude toward this beloved American past-time.
Neighboring States with Legal Sports Betting Markets
State senators from both parties, as well as Oklahoma’s attorney general, have stated conflicting views on the development of sports betting in the Sooner State. As a result, the future of Oklahoma online sports betting is questionable. For the time being, this means that many Oklahoma residents will have to cross state lines if they want to gamble legally.
To the north and south of Oklahoma lie Kansas and Texas respectively. Although both states have famous conservative attitudes towards gambling, legal sports betting markets can be found to the east in Louisiana, and Arkansas to the northeast.
Both states have just legalized sports wagering, which means that these new markets are being regulated, ensuring that bettors are protected. To place your wagers, all you have to do is cross the border!
Remember that online sports betting is supposed to be fun. If you or someone you know is struggling, the National Council on Problem Gambling is here to help.
Best Betting Sites in Oklahoma — The Situation Might Change
If you’ve been to our site before, you’ll know that we strongly recommend that you should only ever wager with legal websites. Even taking the effort to travel to states where online sports betting is permitted protects you more as there are currently no sportsbooks in Oklahoma for Oklahomans to use.
While they may appear to be a drag at first glance, gambling boards and agencies enforce tight standards that are designed to protect you in the long run. For example, several online sportsbooks accept US players from any state.
It’s because many of these sportsbooks have their headquarters outside of the legal system, often in Latin America and the Caribbean outside of US jurisdictions. Even if you win, there is no assurance that you will receive fair payouts.
The black-market top Oklahoma betting sites now used by desperate gamers do not meet crucial safety standards. When gambling is illegal, the sites are not required to follow fair payment rules or age verification, and they are not required to assist those who have gambling problems. However, in real markets, these player protection standards should be enforced.
If sports betting was legal in Oklahoma, you would probably be able to bet on the NFL or MLB. If you’d like to know more about it, check out our guide to NFL betting and our top tips on MLB betting. For now, however, the best betting sites Oklahoma has to offer remain illegal.
Oklahoma Gambling Laws
When it comes to legal kinds of gambling, Oklahoma is relatively conservative in its attitudes. Two racinos (horse racing tracks with onsite casinos) are located in the state, while over 143 Native American casinos provide access to games such as slots and classic table games such as roulette, blackjack, and poker.
Throughout Oklahoma, sports betting is prohibited. Horse racing pari-mutuel bets, on the other hand, are permissible. Oklahomans may have a bunch of options when it comes to legal gambling in the physical world, but they have very few options when it comes to online gambling.
For instance, Okies are unable to gamble at in-state sportsbooks, and Oklahoma betting sites are outlawed completely. Nonetheless, many residents do engage with Daily Fantasy Sports and draft lineups due to its current ambiguous legal status. If you prefer to gamble on the latest leagues and fixtures through a sportsbook, however, you’ll have to travel to another part of the country.
The legal gambling age in Oklahoma varies depending on the location. Most venues allow 18-year-olds to bet, although it is often strictly 21 in casinos. This is partly owing to the United States’ rigorous liquor licensing requirements, as many casinos serve alcohol to their patrons.
For a better oversight of Oklahoma’s gambling laws, be sure to check out our graphic summary below:
| Betting Type | Law |
|---|---|
| Sports Betting | Not Legal |
| Online Sports Betting | Not Legal |
| Land-based Casino | Legal |
| Online Casino | Not Legal |
| Poker | Legal |
| Racetrack Betting | Legal |
| Oklahoma Gambling Age | 18+, 21+ for Casinos |
As you can see, many forms of gambling are available in Oklahoma but many of these options are limited in certain respects. The only completely illegal options are online casino gambling or Oklahoma sportsbook which are not permitted in any shape or form.
We do our best to keep abreast of any changes to the legality of gambling in the United States. No signs point to sports gambling laws changing soon in Oklahoma, even though the state government appears to be gradually softening its stance.
There are currently no proposals to authorize online gambling in the Sooner State, but rest assured we’ll keep you updated. If you’d like to know more, check out our guide to online betting in the US.
History of Gambling in Oklahoma
Gambling has always been a contentious issue in Oklahoma. Despite the fact that the state now has a slew of casinos, this was not always the case, and the rights to gamble freely were hard fought for. For ‘moral’ reasons, Oklahoma state outlawed all forms of gambling at the turn of the twentieth century.
This anti-gambling rhetoric had some sway in Oklahoma, and stringent anti-gambling legislation was in place until 1989, when the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act was put into federal law, allowing for the legalization of tribal gaming and the building of tribal facilities throughout the state.
Remarkably, Oklahoma’s status as the nation’s forerunner of tribal gaming is indebted to its deep and devastating past with the Native American communities. The following are some of the most important dates in Oklahoma’s history of gambling laws.
You’re undoubtedly wondering how Oklahoma gambling laws have changed in the contemporary era, and how all of this applies to sports betting. The potential legalization of Daily Fantasy Sports in 2017, was Oklahoma’sfirst serious step toward allowing online sports betting.
However, while the Sooner State seemed prepared to pass the first prospective sports betting type into law, yet progress has halted, and there has been no news on when Daily Fantasy Sports gambling websites in Oklahoma will be legalized. This stalemate is largely due to its conflict with the interests of the protected Indigenous tribes.
Since the Coronavirus pandemic, there appear to have been no serious initiatives to legalize online sports betting in 2020. This pause on new laws has lasted well into 2021. Even so, no fresh information about the legalization of sports betting in Oklahoma has been released.
The Future of Online Sports Betting in Oklahoma
Before we conclude, we’d like to make some predictions regarding Oklahoma sports betting in the future. While some developments (like the introduction of DSF betting legislation) indicate favorable changes may be in the air for Oklahoma sports fans, sports betting will only be legalized in Oklahoma if the tribes, government, and Department of Indian Affairs all agree.
The fact that two tribes attempted to enter the online sports betting industry by offering real sports betting is similarly encouraging. However, the state has made it clear that it isn’t keen on the offering of online gambling to Oklahoma residents in the same vein as other legal sports betting states.
The Arapaho and Cheyenne Tribes’ attempts to cater to overseas bettors were likewise thwarted by the Department of Indian Affairs. From where we stand, Oklahoma is unlikely to seriously contemplate legalizing all forms of online betting until many more bordering states permit the activity.
However, the influence of lobbying and major league franchises wields significant weight on lawmakers across the United States, so it’s possible that the Sooner State may legalize sports betting sooner or later. We’ll keep you updated on the best betting sites in Oklahoma if and when they arrive!
Frequently Asked Questions
While we try to make all our guides as detailed as possible, we can’t cover everything. If you feel we missed anything or want to ask us something, feel free to send us an email to contact@bestbettingsites.com.
In the meantime, however, we’ve compiled a list below of the most commonly asked questions from our readers below. You may discover the answers you’re looking for there. Best of luck!
⚖️ Are online gambling and sports betting legal in Oklahoma?
No. At the time of this writing, all kinds of sports betting are banned in Oklahoma. Legislative moves to allow sports and online betting appear to have been stalled, with no signs of change anytime soon. Despite what some websites may imply, there are no legal Oklahoma sports betting apps available on mobile devices. If you'd like to know more, check out our our detailed breakdown of online sports betting in Oklahoma.
🛡️ What is the legal gambling age in Oklahoma?
In the state of Oklahoma, the legal age for gambling is 18 years old. However, many casinos that have liquor licenses on the gaming floor restrict entry to those under 21, as the legal drinking age in the state is 21 years of age. To know more, read our detailed overview of Oklahoma's gambling laws
🚨 Are offshore betting sites legal for US players?
Offshore sites are unregistered and unregulated. There are no guarantees of fairness or player safety with unregulated betting sites, so don't invest your time and money in them. Due to this, we strongly recommend that you skip them. Please check out our breakdown of all the risks involved in off-shore betting.
🔎 Can I use VPN to bet at online sportsbooks that are legal in different states?
If you live in Oklahoma, you may be seemingly able to utilize a number of betting companies who pretend to be situated there, even though they're prohibited. Otherwise, websites from out of state that may identify your IP address and block your access to their sportsbooks if you try to join them. Alternatively, you can check out which neighboring states allow online sports betting.