The leading sweepstakes casino sites continue to operate in Oklahoma, despite a recent veto override that passed Senate Bill 1589 into law. As the deadline approaches, operators are engaged in a phased wind-down.
The bill became law on May 14, but it does not take effect until November 1. The new law bans dual-currency or multi-currency sites that feature “online casino games that risk any representatives of value as illegal gambling games.”
Gov. Kevin Stitt said he would veto such a bill if both houses of the Oklahoma legislature passed it.
SB 1589 passed in the Oklahoma House of Representatives on May 7 with a vote of 65-21. Four days later, Gov. Stitt vetoed the bill, saying its wording was too vague and that it would lead to everyday mobile apps being banned.
Stitt added that creating a new Class C felony would discourage business innovation, because the language was broad enough to discourage free-to-play social gaming apps and retail contest websites.
Gov. Stitt’s veto was overridden by Oklahoma lawmakers in both houses. The vote to pass SB 1589 in the Oklahoma Senate was 34-10, while the House backed the sweepstakes casino ban by a 68-19 margin.
The override was not the only time in 2026 that the legislature, controlled by Kevin Stitt’s party, split with the governor.
As a two-term governor, Kevin Stitt is barred from running for a third term in November, so local reports suggest he is seen as a lame-duck leader by some in his party.
Senate Bill 1589’s passage also attests to the influence the tribal gaming industry has in Oklahoma. At present, Oklahoma is home to 143 tribal land-based casinos. Thirty-three federally recognized tribal authorities operate casinos, while 2 commercial racinos also operate in the state.
The tribal casinos generated $3.64 billion in gross gaming revenues from Class III gaming last year, while the economic footprint of tribal gaming is estimated at around $6.8 billion.
The total amount of tax revenue the Oklahoma government collected from tribal gaming in 2025 was $296.2 million. Tribal exclusivity fees alone generated $221,083,212 for Oklahoma in 2025.
With that much paid in exclusivity fees, state lawmakers are adamant about keeping the state’s gaming revenues exclusive to the land-based casino industry.
Oklahoma’s legal code uses the term “representatives of value” to describe what is called “consideration” in many US states. In the House’s summary of the bill, it states, “SB 1589 includes online casino games that risk any representatives of value as illegal gambling games.”
US states such as Illinois have issued cease-and-desist orders against sweepstakes casino operators. Indiana and a handful of others banned the activity outright. Instead of jail sentences, though, they imposed fines on violators. Indiana also threatened to revoke licenses from any operator who operates a dual-currency sweepstakes site.
Oklahoma took a page from Louisiana’s sweepstakes casino ban by imposing felony status on those charged. Under SB 1579, Class C2 violators would be fined between $500 and $2,000 for each violation.
They could also face a jail term of up to 30 days, though the actual incarceration could be longer. Judges are referred to Section 20M of Oklahoma’s criminal statutes for additional sentencing guidelines.
The most far-reaching part of the Oklahoma sweepstakes casino ban is the scope of liability. The bill calls for penalties against anyone who “deals or provides support” to the sweepstakes casino industry.
The list could include not just platform operators but also geolocation services, third-party software suppliers, game providers, and media affiliates in the sweepstakes industry. That makes it one of the most ambitious bans in the nation.
The November 1 deadline gives operators and associates months to execute what one lawmaker called a phased wind-down. During that time, Oklahoma players can also wind down on sweepstakes sites. They have almost four months to do so.
