Sport Betting In Texas

The state of Texas does not offer state regulated online sports betting for their residents or visitors. The Department of Justice has stated that the 1961’s Wire Act applies to online sports betting and nothing else. This means that Texas may not be able to legalize state based sports betting online within the state. However, there are many sports betting sites online that are legally operating outside of the United States and that welcome bettors from Texas. These sites are legally licensed and subject to strict regulatory oversight by a respected governing jurisdiction.

  1. Sports betting is currently illegal in Texas. A sports betting bill was introduced in February of 2019 that could take effect on January 1, 2020. While sports betting is illegal, horse and dog racing are legal. The state lottery has been in existence since 1991.
  2. The Texas sports betting sites that we recommend are, of course, the ones we rate highest in terms of quality. They’re also proven to be reputable and trustworthy. We explain a little more about exactly how we compile our rankings further down this page.

No, sports betting in Texas is not legal at this time. Sports betting in Texas In 2019, Rep. Eddie Lucio filed H 1275, a bill which would authorize and regulate sports wagering, including mobile.

Online Sports Betting Options for Texas Bettors

Texas residents who still want to be able to participate in online sports betting always have the option of signing up with a licensed offshore online sportsbook. Many Texas online sportsbooks have most of the same betting lines that the sportsbooks in Las Vegas have, including Texas football betting. In addition, most of them also have the lines and odds that Las Vegas sportsbooks do not, as well as expanded wagering options and incentives that you won’t find at brick and mortar sportsbooks. With several popular Texas based sports teams, such as the Dallas Cowboys and the Dallas Mavericks, among others, it is not surprising that there is a lot of interest in sports betting among Texans. The following options have all been vetted by our team of professional online gambling analysts and were approved as having exceed licensing and industry standards.

Trusted and Reputable Online Sportsbooks That Accept Texas Players

Sportsbook NameNew Players PromotionUSA Friendly?
Bovada Sports50% Match Bonus Up To $250Yes
BetOnline Sports25% Match Bonus Up To $1000Yes
Sportsbetting.ag25% Match Bonus Up To $1000Yes
Bookmaker Sportsbook25% Match Bonus Up To $2500Yes

Sports Betting Laws in Texas

Texas has never actually passed a law stating specifically that online sports betting is illegal. However it has also never been made the option legal within the state either. It is not legal to operate an online sportsbook within the state of Texas at this time. Despite the fact that Federal law states that sports wagers are illegal, no one in the state of Texas has ever been arrested for doing so and this will likely continue to hold true unless bettors get involved with illegal online sportsbook wagering that operates within Texas state borders. You can check out Texas statutes and laws for more information.

Stick to the Legal Texas Sports Betting Solutions

Though legal Texas online sports betting is available from the offshore sites mentioned previously, Texas residents must be aware that if they are caught running their own online or land based sportsbooks, they will face severe legal consequences. Most players would never consider this, but we felt it should be said. Sports fans who want to participate in sports betting are wisest to restrict their activity to those online sports betting sites operating legally within the industry at the International sites which accept US players. This guide features the safest, most legitimate and reputable sportsbook brands operating online that welcome players from Texas. By limiting your sports betting to websites which are recommended by professionals, you are ensuring that you land at a safe gambling environment.

What Types of Sports are Covered in Texas Online Sportsbooks?

People who live in Texas enjoy both sports betting and the sports themselves a great deal. Professional sports, especially football, are more popular in Texas than they are in some other states. This means Texas provides a nice large player base for the legal Texas online gambling industry that is currently in existence. The brands that we recommend all include betting lines on NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, tennis, golf, motor sports, mixed martial arts, horse racing, boxing, and a host of other sports events that fans love to watch and bet on.

Many of the sports betting sites we recommend offer creative wagering options, such as multi sport parlays and innovative props bets, as well as live betting and live in-play wagering. Player incentives can get involved with sports betting, to include welcome bonuses, reduced juice options, seasonal promotions, and handicapping options. The possibilities are endless when you really learn the ins and outs of what is available to players. Typically, the online sportsbooks offer a much more dramatic experience than what land based sportsbooks are able to.

Everything’s bigger in Texas, right? Well, that may be true for belt buckles, boots, and 10-gallon hats, but it’s not the case for brick and mortar Texas sports betting options.

With zero betting facilities offering any form of sports betting in the state, your only options for betting on sports in Texas are online sports betting sites accepting Texas bettors or betting apps. Luckily, there are some incredible options that know how to deliver the quality and experience befitting of a Texan.

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The Top 3 Real Money Texas Sportsbooks Online

1. MyBookie – Best Texas Sportsbook Option for Beginners

Proudly serving residents of Texas for almost a decade, MyBookie is a top pick for sports bettors looking to make wagers from the Lone Star State.

  • Tons of sports to bet on? Check.
  • In-game betting? Check.
  • Casino options? Check.
  • Fast payouts? Check.

We could go on all day (and we happily would), but we know you’re ready to get into the action. We’re confident that Texas sports bettors would thoroughly enjoy this online sportsbook.

If you’re looking for one of the best Texas betting sites that’s great for advanced sports bettors and beginners, check out MyBookie.

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2. BetNow – Best Choice for Live In-Play Wagering

Let’s get one thing straight before we start talking about all the extra features that come with joining BetNow—the standard sportsbook experience at BetNow is incredible.

People looking for a top-tier online TX sportsbook get the ability to bet on whatever they want, however they want, whenever they want, and from wherever they want.

But that’s not all you get from BetNow. Bet9ja old mobile app login. The Texas sports betting app comes with an expansive in-game betting platform, unique weekly and seasonal sports challenges, huge giveaways, big bonuses, and fast payouts.

If you’re looking for a feature-rich option to place sports bets in Texas, check out BetNow… now.


3. Bovada – Best TX Sportsbook Online for Competitive Odds

While your best bet for getting the most competitive odds on the wagers you want to make is to line shop, that won’t be fruitful if you’re always “shopping at the wrong stores.” One of the best Texas betting sites that we’ve found to have the most competitive lines is Bovada.

It seems like the odds are hit slower by the sharks, and the gap (the vig) between both sides of the wager is fair. You’ll see very few (-115) vs (-115) or (+140) vs. (-110) type matchups. If you’re newer to sports betting and that confuses you, that’s okay.

Here’s the takeaway. Join at least two real money Texas betting sites or apps, and look at each sportsbook every time you bet to get the best lines and the best payouts.


Comparing These Online Texas Sports Betting Sites

MyBookieBetNowBovada
Year Established201420162011
Welcome BonusUp to $1,000Up to $500Up to $750
Bonus Rollover10x5x – 10x5x
U.S. Players?YesYesYes
In-Play Betting?YesYesYes
Bitcoin?YesYesYes
Casino Options?YesYesYes
Live Chat Support?YesNoYes
Phone Support?YesYesNo
Sign Up Now!Visit MyBookieVisit BetNowVisit Bovada

Where to Bet on Sports in Texas – Current and Coming Soon Options

  1. Online Texas Sports Betting Sites
  2. Mexican Casinos Over the Border
  3. Upcoming Options Nearby in Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Arkansas

Take Advantage of Online Texas Betting Sites

As you pour through the top three options to make a bet on sports in Texas, you’ll find that you’re pretty limited.

Gambling

Unless you feel like heading south of the border or waiting on neighboring states to get it together, you have only one option. The good news? That one option is a great one!

The best Texas sports betting sites and betting apps offer an incredible way for you to bet on all the sports you want without the need to bend over backward or leave the Lone Star State.

Best ira cd rates 2019. You can make safe, real-money wagers on local sports, Texas sports, national games, or anything and everything from around the globe just by downloading Texas betting apps.

It’s the ultimate option in flexibility and convenience to enjoy real money betting in Texas.

Drive to Mexico

If you happen to live close to the country’s southern border, you may have an option to bet if you’re feeling spicy.

Along the southern border of Texas, just across the state line, you have several different Mexican casinos that offer sports betting.

Some of the bigger options include:

  • Casino Petrolero
    • Casino Petrolero Blvd. Poza Rica, Calle Olmo Con, Col. Petrolera, 88640 Reynosa, Tamps., MX
    • 167 miles south of Corpus Christi (2 hours and 48 minutes)
  • Casino Intercontinental
    • Prado del Sur, Praderas de Oriente, 88595 Reynosa, Tamps., MX
    • 167 miles south of Corpus Christi (2 hours and 46 minutes)
  • Casino Nacional SCP de CV
    • Coahuila 1400 Poninente, Nísperos, 26020 Piedras Negras, Coah., MX
    • 146 miles southwest of San Antonio (2 hours and 28 minutes)
  • Juega Y Juega
    • Adolfo Ruiz Cortinez No. 3136 Esq. Veracruz, Electricistas, 88270 Nuevo Laredo, Tamps., MX
    • 161 miles southwest of San Antonio (2 hours and 34 minutes)

Options on the Horizon in Neighboring States

While real money Texas sportsbooks and driving to Mexico are your only two options as of now, you may soon have some new options to toss into the mix. While Texas isn’t showing much promise for in-person sports betting anytime soon, the neighboring states of Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Arkansas are. Here’s the current status in each of these states:

  • Louisiana – The state’s newest sports betting bill passed in the 2020 election, which means that brick and mortar sports betting is coming to Louisiana soon. While there are still a few things that need to happen before it’s official, many casinos already have implementation plans in the works. For example, the L’Auberge Casino has already begun planning. The casino is only 58 miles from Beaumont, TX, and 142 miles from Houston, TX (about a 2-hour car ride).
  • Oklahoma – Many casinos in the state of Oklahoma see favorable movement for the future of brick and mortar sports betting in the state. While no laws have been passed yet, casino operators signal potential movement and implementation within the next one to two years. The largest casino in Oklahoma, WinStar World, is only 75 miles from Fort Worth, TX, and 81 miles north of Dallas, TX.
  • Arkansas – In 2019, the state of Arkansas passed legislation legalizing brick and mortar sports betting in the state. Currently, you’ve got construction underway of sportsbooks at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort, the Southland Casino, and the Saracen Casino Resort. As these properties are expected to start taking action any day now, it’s going to be a new avenue for people living in the northeast parts of Texas to get their gamble on.

If you’d rather do your sports gambling online in each of these states, we’ve got you covered with the best sportsbooks for each!


What Areas of Texas Are the Most Interested in Betting on Sports?

According to recent Google Trends data over the past five years, the metropolitan area of Austin, TX, takes the cake for the most interest in betting on sports.

Search traffic for local sports betting was almost double in Austin than it was in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area.

And coming in third just behind Dallas-Ft. Worth was the Houston, TX area.

When investigated further, these trends have held steady for the past 12 months as well. It looks like there’s something in the water in Austin that makes people excited to bet on sports in Texas. Although, it could be related to the University of Texas or the Circuit of the Americans being in the area.

Here are the top 10 metropolitan areas in Texas based on Google search traffic for sports betting options over the last five years:

  1. Austin TX
  2. Dallas-Ft. Worth TX
  3. Houston TX
  4. Victoria TX
  5. Lubbock TX
  6. San Angelo TX
  7. Beaumont-Port Arthur TX
  8. Waco-Temple-Bryan TX
  9. Tyler-Longview(Lufkin & Nacogdoches) TX
  10. San Antonio TX

Professional Sports in Texas – Teams and Popularity Data

A lot can be said about the strength of the online sports betting market in a state that has a strong presence of professional sports teams. While not everyone likes to bet on their favorite teams, the overall effect on the industry is still felt. Free pokies 50 lions.

In Texas, there are 10 professional sports teams:

Most Popular Professional Sports in Texas by Fan Attendance (Home Games)

Sports Betting Laws In Texas

While we know your main goal here is to find the best Texas online sports betting sites for you, we thought we’d have a little fun by looking at what the most popular professional sports and teams in the state are. There are a million ways to do this, but a method we prefer is by looking at how well each team within each sport is able to fill its stadium or arena.

Below, we’ve ranked the professional sports leagues in Texas based on the average capacity percentage of their stadiums or arenas during home games from the 2017 or 2018 season. Newer seasons were not selected due to data skewed by world events.

Below are the most popular by:

  • There were over 5 million attendees to Astro and Ranger games during the studied season (2018).
  • The NBA is the most popular sport in the state based on fan attendance (average capacity).
  • The Texas Rangers may have had the second most number of fans attend games, but the team also had the lowest percentage of capacity for games, with nearly half the stadium empty.
  • The Dallas Mavericks had the best individual team showing reaching over 100% of capacity on average for the season (2017-2018 season).
  • The Dallas Cowboys had the highest number of total attendees in the entire NFL during the studied period (2018 season).

We’ve included the raw data below for your convenience. Each season studied was either the 2017 or 2018 season, as newer seasons may have expected fluctuations due to world events.

LeagueAvg Capacity %Total Attendance
MLB71.35%5,087,656
MLS71.76%1,037,544
NBA100.43%2,282,023
NFL95.65%1,307,397
NHL98.10%745,314
Chart: Created by TheSportsGeek.com
TeamLeague# of Games Average Attendance Total Attendance % of Capacity
Houston AstrosMLB8136,7962,980,54989.80%
Texas RangersMLB8126,0132,107,10752.90%
FC DallasMLS3414,842504,62872.40%
Houston DynamoMLS3415,674532,91671.12%
Dallas MavericksNBA4119,791811,453103.10%
Houston RocketsNBA4117,900716,00899.20%
San Antonio SpursNBA4118,403754,56299.00%
Houston TexansNFL871,804574,43999.70%
Dallas CowboysNFL891,619732,95891.60%
Dallas StarsNHL4118,178745,31498.10%
Chart: Created by TheSportsGeek.com

Other Popular Sports to Bet on In Texas

Outside of the big five sports, there are several other options you can bet on at the top Texas sports betting apps. Here are a few of the more popular options and why they matter to the state of TX:

NASCAR and Auto Racing

Texas is a great state for racing! Whether you’re enjoying the mile and a half track at Texas Motor Speedway or catching a road course race at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA), the action is bigger and better.

If you find yourself wanting to bet on a NASCAR race, Indy Car race, or any other form of auto racing, you’ll be able to do just that through the real money Texas sportsbook apps outlined in this guide.

College Sports

  • Baylor Bears
  • Houston Cougars
  • North Texas Mean Green
  • Rice Owls
  • SMU Mustangs
  • TCU Horned Frogs
  • Texas Longhorns
  • Texas A&M Aggies
  • Texas State Bobcats
  • Texas Tech Red Raiders
  • UTEP Miners
  • UTSA Road Runners

We felt it necessary to lead with the laundry list of collegiate powerhouses in the state of Texas. With so many strong competitors on the NCAA scene, it provides a ton of great betting opportunities for local fans to get in on the action.

You’ll have plenty of opportunities to bet on teams from all over the country, but in case you have some insider knowledge from being a Texas local, you’ll be able to cash in on that.

Entertainment, Politics, and Special Events

Texas is a hot-bed for entertainment, politics, and special events. Did you know that the best Texas betting apps let you wager on these things? You betcha’ they do!

Whether you vote for the red team or the blue team, are on Team Blake or Team Adam on The Voice, or you think the U.S. will clean up at the Olympics—these are just a few of the betting options you’ll find available on these TX sports betting apps.

Is Betting on Sports in the Texas Legal?

Yes, betting online in Texas is legal, however, there are still a few concerns in the grey area that require investigating.

In early 2019, Texas Senator Eddie Lucio III proposed a bill to begin fully regulating sports betting across the state. The bill, HB 1275, looks to remove the gray area surrounding the industry and make the laws clear as day with legislation, permits, taxes, and even criminal penalties for violators.

Texas Online Gambling Laws

Currently, the bill is still waiting to get its shot at passing in the House and the Senate with a two-thirds majority to make it onto the ballot. Until then, Texas sports betting sites operating oversees will continue to ride in limbo. If passed, some of the major implications of the bill include:

  • Five permits for TX betting sites with two skins (versions) available with each
  • Full clearance for online and mobile betting sites
  • Limitations that betting must take place within the state of Texas
  • A 6.25% tax collected by the license holders and operators
Sport Betting In Texas

Prior to the potential passing of this bill, should you use these sports gambling sites in Texas? The final call is yours, but hundreds of thousands of Texans have used these safe and time-tested sites for decades.

If you need a more concrete opinion on the legality of these sports gambling sites in Texas, seek the counsel of a Texas gaming attorney.

Get Started With Texas Online Betting Now

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Sport Betting In Texas Holdem

FAQs About Sports Betting in Texas

No, you're not able to make in-person sports bets anywhere in the state of Texas.
Currently, the top three best Texas online sportsbooks are MyBookie, BetNow, and Bovada. These three sites have held the top spots for some time. The design and layout of these top three online sportsbooks make Texas sports gambling easy and enjoyable.
The states of Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma all have plans for in-person sports betting locations in the works. The exact opening of these options is not known yet. That being said, Arkansas should be first (any day now), followed by Louisiana, and then Oklahoma.
Yes, there are several casinos along the border in Mexico that take sports bets. As we're not as up to speed on the Mexican sports betting market, we do recommend calling first to get details about what type of action the book is taking. Some of the more popular Mexican sportsbooks on the border include Casino Petrolero, Casino Intercontinental, Casino Nacional SCP de CV, and Juega Y Juega.
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One of the most critical elements we look at when assessing the best Texas sports betting sites is how fast winnings are paid. What we look at here comes in two parts—bet adjudication and withdrawals. Bet adjudication is how fast after a game your bets are paid into your betting account. We like to see this done within a couple of minutes at the latest. For withdrawals, the best TX betting apps process payments in under 48 hours and have your money to you within a few business days max.

Texas Sports Betting Laws

If you're using MyBookie or BetNow, you can use it in any other state in the U.S. There are no limitations. Bovada may be used in most states, but the website says it is restricted in New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Maryland, and Nevada. That being said, there is an option to put in that you're traveling, which may help you to override that in these five states.