Oklahoma has sat at the center of American oil and gas production for over a century. It's the 5th largest oil-producing state, and it gives qualified investors direct access to some of the most productive formations in the country. It's also where we've built our business from the ground up.
Our headquarters are in Oklahoma City. We operate in Oklahoma's proven basins, and our investors get the benefit of local expertise, longstanding industry relationships, and people who genuinely know this geology.
Why Oklahoma for Oil and Gas Investment
Oklahoma's oil and gas industry props up the entire state economy. Why does it work so well for investors? Proven reserves, mature infrastructure, a skilled workforce, and regulators who understand energy development. That's a hard combination to beat for direct oil well investing.
The geology here is stacked in your favor. Multiple productive formations literally sit on top of each other across wide areas, giving operators the flexibility to target different zones as commodity prices shift and completion technology improves. Oklahoma also has over a century of production data behind it, so geological risk runs far lower than in frontier basins. We can pull up thousands of offset wells, detailed well logs, and publicly available production records before we ever decide to drill.
The numbers back it up. Oil and gas supports roughly one in six Oklahoma jobs and funnels tens of billions of dollars into the state economy each year. That economic weight means the whole business environment gets it, from county courthouses where mineral rights are recorded to state agencies that turn permits around fast.
400,000+
Barrels per day
5th largest oil producing state
100+
Years of production
Established infrastructure
52,000+
Active wells
Across multiple formations
$30B+
Annual industry value
To Oklahoma's economy
Oklahoma's Premier Oil & Gas Formations
SCOOP (South Central Oklahoma Oil Province)
One of the most prolific unconventional plays in the US, producing oil and NGLs from the Woodford Shale at depths of 9,000 to 14,000 feet. The SCOOP covers portions of Grady, Stephens, Garvin, McClain, and Carter counties. Wells in the volatile oil window routinely deliver strong initial production rates, and the thick Woodford interval supports extended lateral lengths that improve per-well economics. Operators have reported EURs (estimated ultimate recoveries) ranging from 500,000 to over 1 million BOE per well depending on spacing and completion design.
Learn more →STACK (Sooner Trend Anadarko Canadian Kingfisher)
A multi-zone play producing from the Meramec, Osage, and Woodford formations in Blaine, Canadian, and Kingfisher counties. The STACK's defining advantage is stacked pay: multiple productive intervals sit directly on top of each other, allowing operators to drill several wells per spacing unit from a single pad location. The Meramec alone contains multiple benches, each with distinct reservoir properties. This stacked geology maximizes acreage value and gives operators flexibility to target oil-weighted or liquids-rich zones depending on commodity prices.
Learn more →Anadarko Basin
One of the deepest and most productive sedimentary basins in North America, extending across western Oklahoma into the Texas panhandle. The basin reaches depths exceeding 40,000 feet and contains dozens of productive formations spanning the geological column from Cambrian to Permian age. It has produced billions of barrels of oil and tens of trillions of cubic feet of natural gas over the past century. Both conventional vertical wells and modern horizontal completions are active in the basin, giving operators a wide range of development strategies.
Learn more →Oklahoma's Regulatory Advantages
The Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC) regulates the state's oil and gas industry, and it's one of the oldest energy regulatory bodies in the country. The OCC handles well permitting, spacing orders, pooling applications, and environmental compliance. For investors, that means predictability: permits move on defined timelines, spacing rules are clear, and the legal framework for mineral rights and working interests has been tested in Oklahoma courts for decades.
Permitting here is fast. Operators can typically lock down drilling permits within weeks, not the months it takes in some other producing states. That cuts the gap between when you deploy capital and when oil starts flowing. The OCC's forced pooling statutes also give operators a clear path to assemble drilling units without getting stuck behind a single holdout mineral owner.
Severance taxes are competitive, too. Oklahoma applies a gross production tax on oil and natural gas, with incentive rates for certain well types including horizontals and enhanced recovery projects. Those incentives can boost early-year cash flow for investors, right when production rates are at their peak.
Infrastructure and Service Company Advantages
Infrastructure matters more than most investors realize. Oklahoma has one of the densest pipeline systems in the United States, with major trunk lines connecting producing basins to refineries, processing plants, and storage hubs across the Midcontinent. For BassEXP wells, that usually means pipeline access close to the wellhead, which cuts transportation costs and eliminates the need to truck oil to distant sales points.
Gas processing capacity is just as strong. Multiple plants operate throughout the SCOOP and STACK regions, offering competitive processing fees and reliable takeaway for natural gas and NGLs. Cushing, Oklahoma sits in the heart of the state. It's one of the most important oil storage and pricing hubs on the planet, and it gives Oklahoma producers direct access to benchmark WTI pricing.
The service industry runs deep here, too. Drilling contractors, completion crews, wireline companies, workover rigs, equipment suppliers: they're all local. That keeps mobilization costs low and response times short. When we need to call in a workover rig or schedule a frac crew, the supply chain is right down the road. Lower costs and faster execution flow directly to our investors.
How to Invest in Oklahoma Oil Wells
Investing in Oklahoma oil and gas wells through BassEXP is straightforward. For a complete walkthrough of the process, see our guide to investing in oil and gas. Here's how it works:
Initial Consultation
Talk with our team about your goals, risk tolerance, and investor status. No pressure, no sales pitch.
Prospect Review
Dig into the prospect package: geological analysis, AFE cost breakdowns, projected production profiles, and return scenarios.
Due Diligence
Vet everything with your advisors. Operator track record, formation data, offset well production, legal docs.
Execute Investment
Sign subscription documents and fund your working interest position in the selected Oklahoma well or project.
Production & Distributions
Start receiving monthly production reports and revenue checks from your Oklahoma oil well investment.
Tax Benefits of Oklahoma Oil Well Investments
Oklahoma oil well investments qualify for the same federal tax benefits as any domestic oil and gas investment. The short version: these deductions can dramatically improve your after-tax returns.
65-80%
Year 1 IDC Deduction
Intangible drilling costs deductible in the year incurred
15%
Depletion Allowance
Of gross production revenue is tax-free
BassEXP: Oklahoma's Investor-First Operator
We're independently owned and operated by the Bass family right here in Oklahoma City. Our team brings over 100 years of collective experience in Oklahoma oil and gas exploration. Transparency and straight talk aren't values we hang on the wall. They're how we actually run.
Local Expertise
Based in Oklahoma City. We know the formations, the regulators, and the service companies by name.
Proven Track Record
Multiple successful drilling programs across Oklahoma's SCOOP, STACK, and Anadarko Basin formations.
Investor Transparency
You get real reports, direct communication with our team, and full visibility into well operations and production data.
Aligned Interests
The Bass family invests alongside our partners in every well. We make money when you do.
Run the Numbers on Oklahoma Wells
Model your tax savings from IDC deductions and depletion, or estimate well-level returns on Oklahoma drilling programs.
Explore Other Producing Regions
Oklahoma is where we operate, but it helps to understand how the major North American basins compare.
