Online Sports Betting in
Texas
Sports betting is not legal in Texas, unfortunately
No sports betting in Texas for the time being
Unfortunately, sports betting in Texas is not yet legal. And while many in the Lonestar state would love to see it happen, legal sports betting in Texas is still far from becoming a reality for this legislative session at least.
However, all is not lost for Texan sports fans as Daily Fantasy Sports is available through the Monkey Knife Fight app. You can use our USBR code to get a sign-up bonus and start playing within minutes:
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The fact is that Texas is on the lower end of the spectrum when it comes to legislative efforts to establish a regulated market and expand any existing gambling activity available within the state.
The deep-seated southern baptist culture, mixed in with constitutional roadblocks, makes it almost impossible for a House or Senate member to get a bill signed into law.
But, there is still undeniable support in Texas, particularly from the state’s major sporting franchises. These franchises have formed the Sports Betting Alliance in an effort to have legislation pushed through. The alliance includes the Dallas Cowboys, FC Dallas, Dallas Mavericks, Dallas Stars, and Texas Rangers.
The alliance has backed proposed constitutional amendments that would allow Texas voters to make a decision on sports betting through a referendum.
Online sports betting sites in Texas
There are no sports betting sites in Texas. The closest thing to it is daily fantasy sites such as DraftKings. These sites are not regulated by the state of Texas but still accept and welcome players from Texas who are not legally prohibited from playing.
There have been several attempts to introduce legislation that would allow online operators to launch within the state but most have been immediately shot down.
The latest attempts hope to put the question before the state’s voters which could happen as early as 2022. Should voters throw their support behind the establishment of a sports betting market, then we could see online sports betting in Texas sometime in 2023.
In-person sportsbooks in Texas
There are currently no sportsbooks in Texas. As a matter of fact, there is only one casino in the entire Lone Star State.
That casino is called the Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino in Eagle Pass. The only reason it’s able to operate is that it is on federally protected tribal land. They have not shown any indication that they would like to open a Texas sportsbook.
Efforts to open casinos or any sort of gambling venues in Texas have been met with immediate resistance and that doesn’t seem too likely to change in the near future.
Those looking to bet on sports in Texas will need to make the trip to a neighboring state such as Arkansas or New Mexico as both of these states have legal sportsbooks.
Texas sports betting news
This Week In US Sports Betting January 29 To February 4
Texas sports betting FAQs
When will Texas legalize sports betting?
At the moment it looks like 2023 would be the earliest we will see sports betting bills signed off and sports wagering become legal in what would be one of the largest sports betting markets in the U.S.
Can you bet on the Texas Longhorns or other college teams?
No, betting on college teams in Texas or any sports teams for that matter is still not legal. New sports betting bills introduced in the state legislature might move to ban this even if sports betting was legalized.
Can you play Daily Fantasy Sports in Texas?
Yes, the biggest DFS operators in the USA including DraftKings, FanDuel, Monkey Knife Fight, and Yahoo will all accept Texas residents.
How big would the Texas sports betting market be once legal?
According to Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, a gambling industry research firm, the Texas sports betting market would be the second-largest in the nation. In 2019, the firm estimated Texas could generate $1.2 billion in annual revenue, and with an industry average of a 10% tax, it would net the state $120 million in additional funding.
Texas sports betting timeline
2019: Sports Betting hopes crushed
The first effort to bring legal sports betting to Texas came on February 1, 2019. It was on this day that House Bill 1275 was introduced by Rep. Eddie Lucio, III (D-38). However, that piece of legislation was doomed from the start.
At first glance, the bill aimed to allow for online sportsbooks in Texas. This was initially believed to be a good thing since Texas does not have any casinos. But a closer look at the bill revealed some major flaws with the proposed legislation.
The biggest of these flaws was a 6.25% tax on the total handle a sports betting operator collected per month. Of the 23 states that have legalized sports betting, none have set a tax on the handle. Instead, they implement a tax on the revenue generated by the sportsbook.
Other political factors also crushed any hope of it passing, chief of which was the fact that the legislature in Texas is primarily made up of Republicans. The party has a history of opposing any sort of gambling expansion in Texas. And to make matters worse, the sports betting bill came from a Democrat.
The bill needed to get a two-thirds vote of the legislature in order to put it on the ballot. Instead, the bill was sent to the House Committee of Licensing & Administrative Procedures where it never even received a hearing nor saw the light of day.
2020: Even-numbered year leaves sports betting with no chance
People who live outside of Texas may not know it, but the legislature only meets during odd-numbered years. And as 2020 was an even-numbered year there was no real progress made in terms of sports betting.
The 2020 pandemic also made matters worse as the state now has to deal with a flagging economy and has little time to deal with an industry that is considered non-essential.
2021: A renewed hope thanks to an alliance
The Sports Betting Alliance came into existence in February of 2021. The alliance is made up of 5 professional sporting franchises based in Texas. These are the Dallas Cowboys, FC Dallas, Dallas Mavericks, Dallas Stars, and Texas Rangers.
The alliance put its weight behind a proposed constitutional amendment HB 2070/HJR 97 by Representative Huberty and SB 736/SJR 39 by Senator Hinojosa. These amendments would put it to the electorate allowing the voting public to decide whether or not the state should allow sports betting.
HB 2070 and HJR 97 are currently left pending in committee while SB 736 and SJR 39 have been referred to Business & Commerce. Although there is very little time left in this legislative session, there’s hope that at least one piece of legislation will be passed allowing a gambling expansion question to be put on the 2022 ballot.
While the going is painstakingly slow, this is probably the most progress made towards establishing legal sports betting in Texas.