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Oklahoma legislature sends sweepstakes casino ban bill to governor

Legal Writer

Publish Date: May 05, 2026

Fact checked by: Matt Moreno

Key Points

The Oklahoma House of Representatives approved SB 1589 on Monday.
SB 1589 heads to Governor Kevin Stitt with a five-day deadline for action.
The bill adds sweepstakes casino to forms of illegal gambling in the state.

The race to become the next U.S. state to enshrine restrictions upon sweepstakes casinos has another serious entrant, as Oklahoma’s legislature has sent such a bill to Gov. Kevin Stitt. The Oklahoma House of Representatives approved a proposal out of the state Senate on Monday.

The measure makes operating a sweepstakes casino in Oklahoma tantamount to offering illegal gambling, with possible penalties including fines and incarceration. Compliance with the presumed statute would also require a partnership with tribal gaming authorities within the state, adding another layer of complexity.

SB 1589 just a signature away from law in Oklahoma

Monday’s action in the Oklahoma House included a floor vote on SB 1589, which resulted in a 65-21 vote in favor of the proposal. The Oklahoma Senate advanced the bill with a unanimous vote in March.

SB 1589 is now engrossed and ready for transmission for Stitt, who has five days to act upon it from when he receives it. His inaction would cause the bill to become law at the end of that period.

The measure redefines the scope of illegal gambling in Oklahoma. Sweepstakes casino operators aren’t the only target of the new language.

Bill includes sweepstakes casino vendors in restrictions

SB 1589 adds “online casino games” to the section of the Oklahoma code governing illegal gambling in the state, and includes games that use a “dual-currency” system in that definition. The operation of such games is banned, as well as providing “support” for websites offering the games.

The bill mentions several potential providers.

gaming supplier
geolocation provider
media affiliate
platform provider
promoter

Convictions along these fines would be a Class 2 felony in Oklahoma, carrying potential fines between $500 and $2,000 plus incarceration for each count. Another tenet of the bill sets the bar even higher for any sweepstakes casino that would attempt to operate in Oklahoma within the confines of the presumed statute.

SB 1589 confines legal gambling to tribal activity

While Oklahoma wouldn’t be the first state to ban sweepstakes casinos, SB 1589 has a unique provision. The language would make it more difficult for any sweeptakes casino site to try to alter its business to comply with the presumed statute.

“Except as provided in the Oklahoma Charity Games Act or as otherwise authorized to be conducted on Indian lands in compliance with the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act…”

Oklahoma’s charitable gambling laws restrict that activity to in-person play. Therefore, compliance with this tenet would require a sweepstakes casino operator to contract with a tribal gaming authority within Oklahoma’s borders, amend that tribe’s gaming compact with the state and U.S. Dept. of the Interior, and secure approvals for that compact amendment.

Securing such a partnership is unlikely given the economics of a potential partnership between a sweepstakes casino operator and a tribal gaming authority. Furthermore, there would be legal questions around whether the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act allows for such activity.

If Stitt signs or allows SB 1589 to pass into law soon, Oklahoma could become the 10th U.S. state with some form of restriction on sweepstakes casinos. Because of Monday’s action in the Oklahoma House, the clock for Stitt’s decision on SB 1589 will start counting down soon.

On the search for more sweepstakes news and updates? Make sure to visit the Ballislife Play page.

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