Sweepstakes Casinos Avoid Oklahoma Ban After Gov. Stitt Vetoes Bill
Posted on: May 13, 2026, 05:20h.
Last updated on: May 13, 2026, 05:20h.
- A bill to ban sweepstakes casinos in Oklahoma has been vetoed
- Gov. Kevin Stitt found the bill’s language too broad and vague
Chalk up another win for the sweepstakes casinos.
Unregulated online casino websites and apps will remain accessible in Oklahoma after Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) vetoed Senate Bill 1589. The Oklahoma State Legislature’s website was recently updated to reflect that the governor vetoed the measure on May 7.
Introduced by two Tulsa state lawmakers, Sen. Todd Gollihare (R) and House Speaker Pro Tempore Kyle Hilbert (R), SB1589 sought to criminalize an online website from offering social casino games that utilize a dual-currency structure. Such arrangements allow players to purchase a secondary digital coin, typically called sweeps coins, which can be played for credits that are available for cash withdrawals.
SB1589 would have made it a Class 2 felony offense for any company to conduct such online operations within the Sooner State. The bill provided exemptions for gaming authorized by the Oklahoma Charity Games Act or in compliance with the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.
Stitt Explains
The governor said he felt SB1589 went too far and threatened online gaming and the developers behind the apps with felony penalties, charges that can greatly impact one’s life.
Among the most conservative governors in the union, celebrated by the Republican Party for aggressive state spending controls and for being a proponent of personal liberty, Stitt said the state can protect consumers from illegal gambling without threatening other online operations like social gaming and online promotional and marketing vehicles.
SB1589 described online casino games as “any gambling game” involving a “representative of value,” considered “any and all currency used as part of dual-currency system of payment that allows a person to exchange such currency for any prize, award, cash, or cash equivalent, or any chance to win any prize, award, cash, or cash equivalent.”
Stitt questioned whether the “representative of value” definition was too vague and could impede the rights of an online retailer from allowing a shopper to spin a wheel for a discount code that could be used to make a purchase.
The governor concluded that the bill would have created uncertainty.
Override Veto Odds
SB1589 garnered strong support in the Oklahoma Legislature. The statute passed the Senate unanimously, 48-0, on March 2, and the House of Representatives on May 4 with a 65-31 vote.
In Oklahoma, to override a governor’s veto, a two-thirds majority of each legislative chamber must vote to override. In the Senate, the threshold is 32 votes to override the governor. The number of House votes needed is 67 (assuming all 101 members participate).
Sweepstakes Victories
As Casino.org has been reporting, the 2026 state legislative sessions have largely been a win for the sweepstakes market.
Only Indiana, Maine, and Tennessee passed legislation explicitly banning dual-currency online gaming websites this year, though many other states have issued cease and desist orders via attorneys general and/or state gaming regulators.
In 2025, six states, including California, Connecticut, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, and New York, passed laws prohibiting online sweepstakes.
No comments yet