Sports Betting in Oklahoma
Responsible Gambling Policy for Sports Betting Legislation, 2026
Executive Summary
As a gambling-neutral organization, the Oklahoma Association on Problem Gambling and Gaming (OAPGG) promotes awareness, prevention, harm reduction, and treatment for gambling disorder, regardless of the legal status of gambling.
This document provides recovery-informed policy recommendations that are based on current research in the field of problem gambling as well as information about the prevalence of problem gambling in Oklahoma.
Any expansion of legal gambling should come with increased consumer protections and funding for gambling disorder services.
Oklahomans are already experiencing a high rate of problem gambling. In fact, nearly 1 in 3 Oklahomans are in need of some sort of intervention. Moreover, sports bettors are at least twice as likely to develop a problem as those who engage in other forms of gambling.
Gambling disorder is not only problematic for mental health; it impacts families, businesses, and society as a whole.
We recommend an 8-point responsible gambling policy to prevent further increases in gambling disorder with the legalization of sports betting:
financial support for treatment, prevention, and awareness
accurate advertising
protection of vulnerable populations
helpline promotion
p
articipation in self-exclusion
allowing customers to set limits on their gambling
collecting and sharing data
training employees and educating youth
A comprehensive responsible gambling program differentiates legal gambling from illegal operations. Delivering a comprehensive responsible gambling program is the ethically right thing to do, and it is also good customer service.
Wiley Harwell, DMin, LPC, ICGC-II
Executive Director of OAPGG
Financial Support
The National Council on Problem Gambling recommends allocating at least 1% of all gambling revenues toward problem gambling initiatives.
Funding for problem gambling lags behind other addictions.
Funding for problem gambling is already low compared to funding for substance use disorders and prevalence rates (Marotta, & Yamagata, 2022).
Funding for problem gambling should increase with the legalization of sports betting.
The rate of gambling problems among sports bettors is at least twice as high as among gamblers in general (Winters & Derevensky, 2019); therefore, an expansion in sports betting should trigger an increase in problem gambling funding.
Accurate Advertising
Operators should not misrepresent the odds of winning or misrepresent the risk involved to a bettor’s own money.
Misrepresentations of risk in advertising can promote maladaptive beliefs.
Maladaptive beliefs include:
gambler’s fallacy believing that the outcome of a random game is determined by previous events
winning strategies believing that following a certain strategy will affect the outcome of a random game
Accurate advertising increases consumer confidence and provides differentiation from illegal markets.
Maladaptive beliefs increase the likelihood of gambling disorder.
In the 2022 Oklahoma problem gambling prevalence survey, individuals with maladaptive beliefs (gambler’s fallacy and winning strategies) were more likely to have gambling disorder.
5.3% of individuals who endorsed neither maladaptive belief had gambling disorder.
48.5% of individuals who endorsed both maladaptive beliefs had gambling disorder.
Gambling disorder feeds on people’s hope. This can be contrasted with alcohol or substance use, which may provide a temporary escape but do not offer the false promise of a solution by way of the very problem that has developed.
Protection of At-Risk Populations
Operators must not target at-risk populations, such as people under the legal age to gamble or those in recovery from gambling disorder.
According to the American Gaming Association’s Responsible Gaming Code of Conduct, advertisements should not:
Contain images, symbols, celebrity/entertainer endorsements and/or language designed to appeal specifically to children and minors.
Feature anyone who is or appears to be below the legal age to participate in gambling or sports betting activity or imply that underage persons engage in casino gambling or sports betting.
Be placed before any audience where most of the audience is ordinarily expected to be below the legal age to participate in gambling or sports betting activity.
21 should be the minimum age for all gambling activities.
A consistent minimum age for sports gambling and related fantasy games should be established.
Early exposure to gambling increases risk. Young people are more likely to have gambling disorder if they engage in new types of gambling (e.g., online sports betting and e-sports betting) (Richard & King, 2023). Young people who are exposed to gambling advertisements are more likely to gamble at a higher frequency and to believe that gambling is a good way to make money (Clemens et al., 2017). An early big win increases the risk that a young person will develop a gambling problem (Calado et al., 2017).
Helpline Promotion
All teller windows, online platforms, and advertisements should promote the National Problem Gambling Helpline.
All physical locations and online platforms should display prevention information about problem gambling.
Physical brochures and posters about problem gambling should be available, and webpages about problem gambling should be included on all websites. Information should include the signs of problem gambling, how to stay safe, and resources for where to find help, including the OAPGG website.
All public prevention and awareness efforts should offer a unified message. OAPGG works with tribal nations through its Tribal Advisory Board to develop solutions that can be implemented across Oklahoma. OAPGG provides brochures, posters, and other materials to tribal partners with information for both the helpline and OAPGG resources.
Self-Exclusion
All operators should participate in the statewide self-exclusion program, managed by OAPGG.
Self-exclusion is a voluntary program where individuals can ban themselves from gambling facilities or platforms.
A unified statewide self-exclusion program ensures that individuals struggling with gambling can protect themselves across all gambling outlets with a single registration. When all operators participate, it simplifies the process for customers, sparing them the burden of enrolling separately at multiple locations. This cohesive approach not only enhances the program’s effectiveness but also demonstrates a collective commitment to responsible gambling and customer well-being.
Limits on Gambling
Players should be able to set daily, weekly, and monthly limits on the time and money that they spend gambling.
Once limits are set, they should be enforced strictly, with no option for players to bypass or increase them until a cooling-off period has passed.
Operators should also provide regular reminders of time spent and money wagered to help players stay aware of their activity.
Operators have the opportunity to work with existing technologies. Our free app, powered by Evive, helps Oklahomans track the money and time that they spend gambling. The Evive app allows individuals who want to stay safe, cut back, or quit gambling monitor their money, their time, and their mood. While the app does not allow players to limit their play, it helps build awareness about the impact that gambling is having on their lives. In addition to monitoring their time, money, and mood, users can complete lessons on responsible and problem gambling at their own pace, join the recovery community, and access local help and support.
Data Collection and Research
Operators should collect anonymized data from all customers.
The collected data should include both demographic information and gambling habits to understand potential risk factors and gambling habits.
Operators should share the collected data with state health organizations, qualified researchers, and the public.
Operators should share data with the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services and qualified researchers, such as those at state institutions. Access to comprehensive data informs evidence-based policy decisions, ensuring that regulations are responsive to emerging trends and challenges in sports gambling.
Operators should also share a summary of the data on a public-facing website. The publication of research findings and data summaries on a public-facing website can help educate the community about gambling risks and promote informed decision-making among players.
Surveys on the prevalence of gambling activity and gambling problems should be conducted at regular intervals.
The surveys should focus on how sports betting impacts the prevalence of gambling disorder and provide insight into what methods for reducing rates of gambling disorder are working.
Funding should be provided by gambling operators, or the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services should have access to the funding set aside in the problem gambling fund.
OAPGG has conducted two surveys, one in 2016 and another in 2022, with funding through industry grants; however a portion of gambling revenue should be dedicated to funding ongoing research and data collection, ensuring these efforts are not reliant on intermittent grants or external funding sources.
Training and Education
All employees should be trained on the signs and symptoms of gambling disorder with oversight by a third party.
Casino employees have the most opportunities for spotting the signs and symptoms of problem gambling, which means that casinos are the leading referral source for the helpline and treatment services.
In cooperation with tribal nations, OAPGG has developed training films and an intervention approach, which focuses on 3 main steps: recognition, intervention, and call to action.
Employees should be trained to refer individuals to helplines and treatment services, ensuring that patrons are aware of problem gambling resources and are able to access support easily. Each casino and each shift needs dedicated and trained people to speak with those who show signs of a gambling disorder.
Responsible gambling training should not be a one-time event but part of ongoing professional development, with refresher courses and updates on the latest research and intervention techniques.
OAPGG provides trainings to casino employees, as well as to counselors and other stakeholders.
OAPGG’s training programs can be tailored to specific roles, such as frontline staff, security personnel, and management, ensuring that each group understands how to address gambling disorder within their responsibilities.
Gambling education should be required to be taught alongside the curricula of other addictive products, such as alcohol, tobacco, and drugs.
Currently, Oklahoma students are required to take a Personal Financial Literacy course, which includes standard PFL.12: “The student will explain and evaluate the financial impact and consequences of gambling,” such as “the costs of gambling on individuals and society (e.g., financial situation, addictive behavior, and missed work).”
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