Sports betting

Texas

Sports Betting Laws in Texas: Current Status 2026

Is sports betting legal in Texas? Get the plain-English answer, the constitutional barrier, 2025 legislative bills, and what comes next for TX bettors.

By Steven Cooper · Founder & Editor

Verified June 7, 20266 statute sources

AI-drafted, human-reviewed

How we build these guides

Sourcing

Adapters pull primary data from the FAA, IRS, OpenStates, DSIRE, NORML, PubMed, Census/BLS/FRED, Google Civic, and Data.gov.

Generation pipeline

Multi-stage AI pipeline: structural outline → long-form draft → cross-family fact-check editor → readability polish → FAQ enrichment. Each stage uses a different model family so factual drift is caught before publish.

Quality gates

Soft gates on word count, citation count, and banned-phrase screening; hard blocks if required sections are missing.

Verification cadence

Pages are re-verified quarterly. verified_at updates on every pass.

Not legal advice. Consult an attorney or CPA for binding guidance.

TexasSports betting

#46 of 50·2 state statutes cited·Light state coverage

Quick Answer: Is Sports Betting Legal in Texas?

No. Sports betting is illegal in Texas, including retail, online, and mobile formats. No licensed sportsbooks operate within Texas state lines in 2025.

Texas has not enacted statutes specifically targeting individual online bettors. However, such activity may still fall under Texas Penal Code § 47.02. Consult the Texas Attorney General's office or a licensed Texas attorney for current guidance on specific penalties.

This status persists despite lobbying and legislative activity due to the Texas Constitution. Texas Constitution, Article III, § 47 prohibits lotteries and most forms of gambling. This constitutional prohibition means the legislature cannot legalize sports betting by statute alone; voters must first approve a constitutional amendment. This structural barrier explains why Texas still has no legal sports betting, while neighboring Louisiana has had mobile wagering since 2022.

What About Daily Fantasy Sports?

DraftKings and FanDuel both operate daily fantasy sports (DFS) products in Texas. The Texas Attorney General has not issued a formal opinion declaring DFS illegal, and no enforcement action has been taken against the major platforms as of 2025. DFS is not fixed-odds sports wagering. Participation in DFS does not legalize sports betting in Texas.

What About Offshore Betting Sites?

Texans who use offshore

Sources & Verification (6)

Relating to the regulation of sports wagering; requiring occupational permits; authorizing fees; imposing a tax; decriminalizing wagering on certain sports events; creating criminal offenses; providing administrative penalties.
Relating to the authorization, licensing, and regulation of casino gaming and sports wagering in this state, to the creation, powers, and duties of the Texas Gaming Commission, to the support of the horse racing industry and reform of horse racing and greyhound racing, and to other provisions related to gambling; imposing and authorizing administrative and civil penalties; imposing taxes; imposing and authorizing fees; requiring occupational licenses; creating criminal offenses.
Murphy v. NCAA, 138 S. Ct. 1461 (2018) — Supreme Court decision invalidating PASPA, returning sports betting authority to states.
Federal Wire Act (18 U.S.C. §1084) — interstate wagering prohibitions and 2018 DOJ reinterpretation scope.
IRC §6041 / Form W-2G — federal reporting threshold for sports wagering winnings.
Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (31 U.S.C. §§5361-5367) — payment processor restrictions.

Last verified: June 7, 2026

Editorial process: See methodology →

How we verify: 9 source adapters (FAA, DSIRE, IRS, OpenStates, etc.) → AI draft → AI editor → AI polish → spot human review.

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