- Online sweepstakes casinos will become banned in Oklahoma in November
- The Oklahoma Legislature overrode a prior veto from Gov. Kevin Stitt
Oklahoma tribes secured a major victory on Thursday (May 14) when legislators in the Sooner State overrode Gov. Kevin Stitt’s (R) sweepstakes casino veto.
Earlier in the week, Stitt vetoed Senate Bill 1589. The governor, an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation, said he found the bill too vague and suggested its implications could have threatened the legality of free-to-play social gaming apps and websites and online promotions offered by retailers.
After returning to the State Capitol, Senate lawmakers first overrode Stitt with a 34-10 vote. The House later concurred with a 68-19 vote. A three-fifths majority is needed in each chamber to override a governor’s veto in the Sooner State.
With the override, effective Nov. 1, 2026, any person providing online casino games that risk any “representative of value” faces a Class C2 felony offense. The law applies to online gaming and sweepstakes casino operators, geolocation providers, gaming suppliers, promoters, and media affiliates.
SB1589 affords exemptions for any game authorized by the Oklahoma Charity Games Act or one that’s compliant with the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.
Tribes Hold the Line
Oklahoma tribes maintain the exclusive rights to casino gaming in the state. Through their Class III gaming compacts, Oklahoma is home to one of the largest Native gaming markets in the country.
In the latest fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, Oklahoma tribes generated gross gaming revenue (GGR) of more than $3.6 billion. The state collected $221 million from their operations, as the compacts require the tribes to share 4% to 10% of their gaming revenue in exchange for the privileges.
The economies of the Native communities rely strongly on gaming. Many tribes saw online sweepstakes casinos as a major threat to their economic sovereignties.
Oklahoma tribal gaming is under attack. These platforms bypass tribal-state compacts and directly compete with our brick-and-mortar operations, threatening revenues that fund education, elder services, and economic development,” said Margo Gray, executive director of the United Indian Nations of Oklahoma.
“Protecting tribal gaming means protecting the essential services our citizens depend on,” Gray added.
Sweepstakes casinos use a controversial dual-currency system.
While players can play online slots and table games for free with fun money, their accounts also provide for the purchase of a secondary digital currency called sweeps coins. Sweeps coins can be used to gamble, or, as the platforms claim, enter online promotions tied to the outcome of slot spins and dealt table game cards.
Sweeps coins, once gambled, can be withdrawn for cash.
Sweepstakes Casinos Continue… For Now
With SB1589 not effective until November, online sweepstakes casinos can continue to operate in Oklahoma. Casino.org confirmed that several sweepstake market leaders, including Chumba Casino, Stake, and FunzCity, currently remain active.
Estimates suggest that unregulated online sweepstakes casinos in the US generated more than $4 billion in gross gaming revenue last year.
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