State of Play in Texas
Sports Betting in Texas
Neither online or retail sports betting is currently legal. However, there are daily fantasy sports available.
The Texas sports betting legalization effort persists as a complicated matter. Should the Lone Star State give the green light to legal mobile sports betting, Texas stands to become one of the biggest online gambling markets in the U.S.
For now, the Fliff sweepstakes sports gaming app offers the best way to play sports picks games in Texas.
No Specified Regulatory Body
Sportsbooks in Texas
Q&A
- Can I bet on college sports in Texas? Since there are no online or retail sportsbooks currently legal in Texas, it is impossible to place a bet on a college sporting event. If Texas does decide to legalize sports betting, then the state law will have to determine if this will be a legal betting market.
- Does DraftKings offer fantasy games in-state? Yes, DraftKings is one of the operators that offer a daily fantasy sports site to state residents. The DFS industry has been contested and argued for years in Texas, but DraftKings has continued to operate through it all. Since DraftKings already has a presence in Texas, then it could be among the first to launch an online sports betting site.
- Are there any mobile betting apps in Texas? Yes, there are mobile betting apps in Texas, but these are only offered on a very small scale. Daily fantasy sports operators are allowed to accept customers from Texas, and these companies do have a mobile betting app available.
- Is the Barstool sportsbook app available in Texas? No, the Barstool Sportsbook is not available in the state of Texas, along with all of the other online sportsbook apps. Barstool has started to form a large presence throughout the United States after Penn National Gaming acquired a significant stake in the company.
- Can I bet anonymously at Texas legal betting sites? No, regardless of what the online betting laws say when they are finally passed, this will not be an option for bettors. Anyone wishing to bet online will first have to create an account and then be signed in before any betting can be done. This is the process that is done at the DFS sites in Texas, and the same will take place for online sportsbooks and online casinos.
Methodology
Texas Online Betting
Texas online betting is not currently legal, and those laws will not change until 2023, at the earliest. There have been some recent attempts to pass a new law to make sports betting legal, but there hasn’t been a ton of support from lawmakers.
In 2021, HB 2070 attempted to remove sports betting from the illegal activities list. HB 2070 and several other attempts to legalize sports betting gained little traction and eventually fell by the wayside.
With a two-year legislative cycle, Texas could take another swing at sports betting in 2023, but Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has been critical of gambling expansion, and in Texas, the Lt. Gov. has the final say over what bills are discussed.
If Patrick (or his successor) has a change of heart, there could be enough support for sports betting in the legislature. If that’s the case, Texas could be a solid contender to legalize sports betting and launch in late 2023 or, more likely, 2024. Still, 2025 is a more realistic timeframe for legal Texas sports betting.
Texas doesn’t have any significant gambling stakeholders outside of the state lottery. So, in Texas, mobile betting will be the primary delivery channel. Professional teams in Texas have started partnering with online sports betting operators. These partnerships hint at what a Texas mobile sports betting industry might look like, with professional sports teams acting as the conduit for mobile betting, considering the state’s lack of casinos and retail gambling stakeholders.
Best Sports Betting Alternatives In Texas
Top Sports Betting Alternatives in Texas
Top Sports Betting Alternatives in Texas
Texas Legal Online Fantasy Sports Sites
The daily fantasy sports rules in Texas have been a mess for years, but there are DFS sites available to residents of the state. Texas is one of many states that hasn’t made this industry legal but doesn’t consider this form of gaming illegal either.
HB 393 was the most recent attempt to legalize daily fantasy sports in 2020. The House passed that bill by an overwhelming margin, but the state Senate didn’t act on the measure.
FanDuel ceased operations in Texas for a short period after the Attorney General declared that these games were illegal. However, that company has since jumped back into the Texas online betting DFS industry, and other sites have also launched.
The legal age to play at DFS sites that are operational in Texas is 21 years of age, which is pretty standard throughout the U.S. Some of the top DFS operators offer a mobile app, while others provide an online site.
Salary Cap DFS Sites
Both DraftKings and FanDuel are accepting players from Texas, and those are easily the two best DFS options in the U.S. Both sites specialize in salary cap-type games, but they have started to expand a bit as well.
Salary cap DFS games have been around for nearly a decade, but some changes have happened. The ultimate goal is to select the best roster of players to score the most fantasy points to beat the competition.
There are some restrictions when drafting players, and DFS players must stay under the salary cap. Players can then enter tournaments or contests where the prize pool will depend on the amount of money entered into the site.
Another great feature of both DraftKings and FanDuel is that a mobile app can do betting right on a mobile device. Other DFS operators attempted to break into the salary cap game genre, but none have matched what DraftKings and FanDuel can offer.
Fantasy Player Prop Games
If you are looking for a different type of DFS action, then checking out Monkey Knife Fight should be a priority. Monkey Knife Fight is a company that has a deal in place with the NFLPA, and it is a site that is growing extremely fast.
When it comes to Monkey Knife Fight focusing on player prop games, several different types of games are available. Player prop games are similar to prop betting that you would find at a traditional sports betting site.
Since traditional sports betting is not currently legal in Texas, these player-prop games are the closest that someone can get to that action.
While Monkey Knife Fight might be the top site for fantasy player prop games in Texas online betting, other sites are also available. For example, Yahoo and Fantasy Draft also accept players from Texas, and both sites offer a wide range of fantasy games.
Best Ball Games In Texas
If you are still looking for a different type of daily fantasy game, then “best ball” might be something to consider. Best ball is still relatively new to the DFS industry, and there will be several different sites that will offer this game, including DraftKings and FanDuel.
Underdog Fantasy is a DFS site specializing in offering a wide range of best ball games, and that is what the site is known for. Best ball will look like salary cap games on the surface, but there are many apparent differences.
The most significant change is that the sites will choose the best lineup for a player after picking the roster. This eliminates players who have a bad game or leave a game early due to injury.
Underdog still might not be a big game that players in Texas know, but it is legal until the state tells it otherwise.
Is It Legal To Play Online Poker In Texas?
Texas is a state that has stringent rules against the game of poker, and that is not even discussing online availability. Poker is a game that is not allowed at casino properties in the state, and poker rooms can only operate under some unique circumstances.
Poker rooms in Texas are available, but these function as a club more than a traditional poker room. Members can pay a monthly fee to access the poker games, but the club cannot take any of the rakes from poker games or tournaments.
Since Texas has such strict poker laws, it is hard to think that legal online poker is coming anytime soon. Not only would a bill have to be introduced and passed to make online poker sites legal, but the state would have to change poker laws overall.
There have only been a handful of states in the U.S. that have legalized online poker, and Texas will not be joining that list anytime soon.
Does Texas Have Legal Online Casino Sites?
Texas is a state that doesn’t have any commercial casinos, and there are just two tribal casinos available as well. This state has not had any actual history with casino gambling, which will make an online launch nearly impossible.
Lawmakers in this state have not had any honest discussions about expanding casino gambling in Texas, but there was a strong push from a casino owners. Sheldon Adelson, the owner of Las Vegas Sands, lobbied for casino gambling in the state as recently as 2021.
Any online casino bill could be added to the upcoming sports betting push, but there hasn’t been any discussion in the past. As a result, Texas will not have to worry about dealing with opposition from tribal casino properties putting up a significant fight, but getting enough support for a bill will be difficult.
Best Sports Betting Alternatives In Texas
Top Sports Betting Alternatives in Texas
Top Sports Betting Alternatives in Texas
How Do I Know That Online Gambling Sites Are Fair?
The best way to know that gambling sites in Texas are fair is to try them out and form your own opinion. Of course, you might not always agree with the odds or how the contests at these sites work, but the operator wants to be as fair as possible.
The biggest reason that online gambling sites in Texas will want to be fair is that they will risk losing out on business or customers if they are not. It will not be long before customers are looking for new sites to use, ultimately hurting each site’s bottom line.
Who Regulates Legal Online Sportsbooks In Texas?
Every state that has legalized sports betting has created a regulatory body to oversee the industry. That same thing will occur in Texas, but it is unclear what group will ultimately be put in charge since there haven’t been any bills that have gained much support.
The group that regulates online sportsbooks in Texas will review all license applications and then issue those licenses. Another regulatory body’s task will ensure that all online sports betting follows regulations correctly.
Why Should I Trust Legal Online Sportsbooks?
If online sportsbooks eventually launch in the state of Texas, then these are going to be legal and regulated sites. Each online sportsbook will have to hold a license with the state before it can accept wagers legally.
The state will regulate online sportsbooks is the best reason to trust them. If any issues pop up when betting at the sites, then the state can step in and help find a solution.
How Do I Get Paid If I Win?
DFS sites in Texas are already paying out money to those who are fortunate to win at the site. The other Texas online betting sites that will potentially launch will have the same process, and all of the payouts will come directly from the site.
Banking at legal online betting sites has improved over the last few years, and there are now plenty of options available. Of course, you have to choose the withdrawal option that suits you the best, and the money will be on the way.