Online Sports Betting Texas: No Legal TX Bookies
In the majority of the cases, sports betting in Texas is considered a criminal offense. However, if you can navigate the law correctly, you might be able to squeeze out just what you are looking for from the few legal opportunities for sports wagering. In any case, we couldn’t find any legal sportsbooks to recommend at the moment.
- This Site Contains:
- Sports betting law in Texas put in plain words
- Past bills and future of online betting in Texas
- Other forms of gambling in the state explained
Unlike their Mormon friends in Utah, Texas seems to have no religious reasons to ban gambling, yet they did it anyway. It wasn’t an overnight process either. It happened slowly and relatively recently. The main reason for this decision was the uprise in crime. The hard to manage chaos stimulated the government to take radical measures and outright ban all gambling.
The 18th amendment to the Constitution played a vital role in the whole story. Thought it was later struck down, Texas refused to move on and to liberalize its laws on gambling. As it happens, little has changed up to this point, so everyone should think twice before they do something gambling-related.
Legality of Online Sports Betting in Texas
There’s not much you can do to circumvent the hard ban on online sports betting in Texas. However, the fact racetracks and the lottery still exist as an alternative can be considered a partial alleviation of the rules. We would gladly tell you about the dos and don’ts you should know as an aspiring bettor in the state.
Legal Online Betting Avenues for Texas Punters
Legal sports betting in Texas is completely disconnected from the concept of online gambling. In short, remote wagers are banned with law. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, there are only two actual options for bettors in the Lone Star State – the lottery and pari-mutuel wagers.
Land Based Casinos & Bookmakers in Texas
Things don’t get much better when you look at the number of physical gambling establishments on the territory of Texas. There’s just one operating casino – Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino, and it is protected by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.
On the other hand House Joint Resolution 133 will see four big casinos being established in the coming years. For now, only ads are being run in anticipation of the big opening. Meanwhile, there’s no light in the tunnel for the best betting sites in Texas to ever come to pass.
Daily Fantasy Sports in Texas
Because so many people can’t find a legal sportsbook in Texas, they settle for fantasy sports contests. This is a topic made controversial by the decision of the Texas Attorney General to share his opinion publicly that paid daily sports fantasy leagues should be illegal. In the face of that statement, some DFS sites continue to accept clients from Texas.
Horse Race Betting in Texas
Wagers on horses and dogs have to be performed in line with the guidelines of the Texas Racing Commission. The gambling law views pari-mutuel bets as an exception to the ban on gambling. Sports bets can also be placed for the purposes of Sports Charity Raffles (Chapter 2004, Occupations Code).
Texas Poker Gambling
It’s not so easy to determine if a poker game violates the law or not. There are guidelines we can try to interpret for you to help you develop an understanding of the matter. The first thing you should know is that each country has the authority to regulate game rooms within their authority.
The bone of contention has been the poker clubs in Texas. Rake is illegal, so all club owners claim they only charge a membership fee and nothing extra. This is currently being investigated, so our advice is to stay out of it until a clear line is drawn between legal and illegal poker rooms in Texas.
| Betting Type | Legal | Regulatory Body |
|---|---|---|
| 🏈 Online Sports Betting | No | None |
| 🎰 Online Casinos | No | None |
| ⚾ Daily Fantasy Sports | Yes | None |
| 🏢 Land-Based Casinos | No | None |
| 🏨 Land-Based Sportsbooks | No | None |
| 🃏 Poker Rooms | Yes | None |
| 🏇 Racetrack Betting | Yes | Texas Racing Commission |
| 🎫 State-Sponsored Lottery | Yes | Texas Lottery Commission |
Offshore Sportsboks in Texas
Opinions are mixed about the legality of online sportsbooks operated by overseas companies. The truth of the matter is that the law doesn’t make exceptions based on where an operator is located. Therefore, both offshore bookmakers and backers are committing an offense by overstepping the law. You can’t possibly expect things to turn out well no matter which side you are on.
Expected Changes to Legal Sports Betting in Texas
Instead of hard evidence of a coming change to sports betting in Texas, all we can entertain for the moment is an opinion given by State Representative Dan Huberty. He gives the guesstimate that 2023 might be a good year for a sports betting bill to finally be voted into law. All we can do is to hope such a bill wouldn’t rub the legislature the wrong way and would make its way into state law.
On February 8, 2021, some of the biggest sports teams came together as one “Sports Betting Alliance” to try and move legislators off their conservative position. Their effort proved futile in that no momentum was gained. It seems that no matter how many sports betting bills are introduced, they keep hitting a brick law.
Previous Legalization Attempts
Online sports betting in Texas is a story without a happy ending so far. Representative Harold Dutton and Dan Huberty have made a valiant effort to promulgate sports betting bills, but none of them has managed to find the key to the stronghold defended by Greg Abbot, Dan Patrick, and Ken Paxton.
The fate of legal sports betting in Texas is in the hand of these three gentlemen. On February 23, 2021, Dan Huberty put forward two bills – House Bill 2070 and House Joint Resolution 97. However, they met strong opposition when the time finally came for decisions to be made. Dan Patrick’s conservative background and the fact he is the President of the Texas Senate – at least in theory – spell the end of all efforts for legalizing commercial sports betting.
Current Legislation
While there’s a long way to go until there’s something we can call ‘the best betting sites in Texas’, at least dialogue about the legality of industrial gambling is not shut down completely. Even so, you will have to conform with current legislation, which pretty much halts all gambling outside the state lottery and horse race betting.
- Increased tax revenue
- More jobs in Texas
- Safer betting environment
- Potential regulatory issues
- Potential for increases in gambling addiction
- Won’t eliminate scam betting sites
The only news we have is from last year’s National Council of Legislators from Gaming States where Texas Representative Dan Huberty gave a speech on the benefits of legalizing sports betting. In his opinion, the groundwork has been laid for a total changeover of the gambling law in 2023.
The Prospect of Legalizing Betting in Texas
As we pointed out earlier, any future bill will have to score a trifecta in the conservative triangle formed by the Attorney General, the President of the State Senate, and the Governor. That’s overcoming overwhelmingly unfavorable odds. Even if the push for a 2023 lift of the ban on sports betting in Texas fails, it wouldn’t be for the lack of supporters.
Texas Legal Sports Betting in Theory
In this segment, we will theorize what online sports betting in Texas would look like if it were to go live. Let’s start with who will set the bar on how betting should be conducted online. This will probably be the Attorney General and his office. Legal doesn’t mean unregulated betting will go unpunished. Licensing and regulation played a huge role in the success story of the states where bookmaking is legal.
In the states where gambling is legal, licensed operators issue a W2-G form to those of their clients who have winnings to report. In that line of thinking, punters from Texas will need to inform themselves of how gambling taxes will work. It’s likely that individual jurisdictions will be left to their own devices when taxing gambling winnings is concerned.
Plans for Legalization of Texas Online Betting Sites
Let us reiterate that no official plans to discuss the legalization of sports betting in Texas are on the agenda of legislators. If that sets the tone for 2022, it might turn out to be quite the uneventful year in the mind of an online wagering fan in Texas. We will keep you posted on the progress or lack of such in the effort to pass a sports betting bill.
Betting Online Versus In-Person Betting
Remuneration schemes are likely to become a game-changing factor when it comes to which sports betting sites will ultimately succeed in Texas and which won’t. It’s reasonable to expect to find better sports betting bonuses online than in a land-based establishment.
Another feather in the hat of online sports betting is the ease of identification. Once you set up your account, you are all set to gamble uninterrupted. While doing it in person, you may need to carry your ID with you if you are lucky enough to look underage.
To that point, you can carry your game to wherever you like. All you need is to have your mobile device on you, and you can tap pretty much every service an online sportsbook has to offer. With that, you are free of any limitations posed by physical space, capacity, weather conditions, etc.
A good example of why gambling online is to be preferred can be found in the lottery. It’s way better to pick your numbers and system online instead of standing in line, waiting for your turn. Many find it more convenient and appropriate to make big money decisions at home rather than in public.
From that standpoint, online betting is the clear winner. What’s more, online sportsbooks would be a market that lends itself to regulation, contrary to common misconceptions. If Texas takes a page off New Jersey’s book, for example, it could establish a well-regulated online gambling industry.
It’s actually quite contrary to the popular opinion that gaming on the internet is harder to regulate. There are a number of standard-bearer organizations working online whose mission is to uphold and implement high criteria for fairness, openness, and securty. We will not go into much detail for the obvious reason that online sports betting in Texas is a long way from becoming a reality.
If that’s not enough, to side with the supporters of online betting, let us point out that self-exclusion is that much easier online. In a matter of minutes, you can start the process and self-exclude from a number of online gambling websites. Equally as easy, problem gamblers can find qualified help and counselling.
The freedom to choose between land-based and online betting in Texas is the best-case scenario because everyone is different. It’s too bad, for now, everyone who wants to bet online has their hands tied by current legislation. Well, with the minor exceptions we talked about already.
Maybe it’s not a bad idea to visit a state with a full-blown gambling industry to see first-hand what online and in-person betting are all about. Even so, we can only theorize what the state of affairs will be if, after all, Texas gets to that point.
Sports Gambling in Texas Throughout the Years
Even though the Lone Star State has been so unwelcoming to the gambling revolution happening all over the US, the Texas Racing Commission still exists. Likewise, the lottery is run by the Texas Lottery Commission. Hopes are high that sports betting in Texas will, one day, be legal and regulated too. Here’s the timeline of the most significant gambling-related events in Texas.
The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) is a law that was overturned in May 2018. Until the decision in 2018, the door was slammed shut to all legal betting opportunities that countries in Europe had on the table. After May 2018, some states took action to institute official regulators and to make sports betting/ legal.
Potential for Licensing Sports Betting
Online sports betting in Texas hasn’t even budged from where it was prior to 2018. If we make our judgment for its future based on that, it wouldn’t be a very bright future we predict. However, we want to talk about the gambling regulators that are already at work to see how sports betting licensing could work.
We can see the Texas Racing Commission taking on the task of determining which racing events are eligible for online betting and which are not. However, the job of a full-blown gambling authority will probably be given to a newly-created entity.
Experience shows that the only way to keep the danger of fraud at bay is to only trust licensed operators. Even so, it’s always good to do your due diligence before taking too much money out of your pocket and investing. All this is advice that will never come in handy until legal sports betting in Texas sees the light of day.
The black market is always a looming danger for the uneducated punter. You may come across a web app which leads to the site of an unlicensed bookmaker. Some of them do manage to bypass the online ban and reach Texas users or the other way around. It’s not worth it to even try because at all times, your money and personal information will be in danger.
Black Market Sportsbooks in Texas
Illegal online betting sites in Texas can be classified as black market operators because they provide their service outside the law. It’s never a good idea to trust one of these operators with your money and personal information, and that’s the very first thing they collect from new customers.
With licensed operators, at least you have the law serving as a firewall. Licensees are required to guarantee a fair process of potential disputes. While any interaction with an outlawed operator depends on the goodwill of both sides. The law is not there to act as an intermediary or any sort of guarantee.
We don’t even need to go very far in our explanation of why acting against the law is not something we recommend. The potential for harm is understandable. What’s more, it carries legal consequences. Be mindful the operators we listed are out there, and you shouldn’t have any dealings with them for the time being.
What you can do is visit a neighboring state where online sports betting is legal. This is not only a legal but also the reasonable way because you will be served by a vetted betting operator.
- ⛔️ 1XBet
- ⛔️ Bovada
- ⛔️ BetOnline
- ⛔️ BetDSI
- ⛔️ SportsBetting.ag
- ⛔️ CarbonGaming.ag
- ⛔️ MyBookie
- ⛔️ BetUS
- ⛔️ Xbet
- ⛔️ 22bet
- ⛔️ 5Dimes
Conclusion – No TX Betting Sites Available
We hope you now understand how it came to be that sports betting in Texas is illegal. It may take a high-level restructure for the law on betting to be amended, so we can only end on the note that we can make no promises. Feel free to come by as often as you would like and see if any updates have been published
Another important takeaway would be to avoid any betting operators you can access from Texas because they have not passed a vetting process. The only options, for the time being, remain pari-mutuel betting and the lottery. Keep that in mind, and stay away from betting websites for now.
Our team is here to keep this website up-to-date with the latest information on online sports betting in Texas. A change in the law could take years to come to fruition, but we will try our best to inform you promptly if we see the signs of hope on the horizon.
FAQ
You are more than welcome to send us your questions related to sports betting in Texas. We would love to hear your thoughts on the topic and what remains difficult to grasp. Meanwhile, you can look for an answer in the following FAQ, where we pinpoint the most popular questions in the Texas betting community.