Best Texas Sports Betting Sites 2026

Top Texas Sportsbooks for February, 2026

Is Sports Betting Legal in Texas?

Texas sports betting is still stuck in a political holding pattern. State law continues to prohibit wagering, and that caution has repeatedly shown up at the Capitol, where legalization efforts have struggled to gain traction in the Senate. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick remains a central roadblock, and even support from major franchises has not been enough to turn momentum into a regulated market.

On the in-person side, the practical reality is simple: you cannot walk into a licensed Texas sportsbook and place a legal bet, whether that’s a dedicated retail book or a venue-based setup tied to pro teams. Tribal gaming exists in Texas, but it is not a broad workaround for sports betting either. Tribal venues operate under narrower gaming rules than the commercial casino-style model people often picture, and that structure has not translated into statewide, regulated sports betting in Texas.

Online betting in Texas is where the pressure really lives, because digital access is what most bettors want week to week. Some polling has put support for legalizing online sports betting at more than 60%, which signals a clear gap between public appetite and what lawmakers have been willing to approve. For now, Texas sits in that familiar middle ground: strong demand, repeated political friction, and no regulated online market yet, which is exactly why so many Texans keep looking for alternatives.

Future Outlook: When Will Texas Legalize Sports Betting?

Most signs point to Texas remaining without legal sports betting through 2026. The Legislature meets in odd-numbered years, and the last major push, including a proposed constitutional amendment (HJR 134), did not advance into law, which leaves the next realistic opening in the 2027 session.

Even if momentum returns, the likeliest path still runs through a constitutional amendment that lawmakers must approve before voters can sign off statewide, so the fastest plausible timeline is a 2027 ballot followed by a later rollout, not an immediate launch.

Key Milestones for Texas Betting Legislation

Lawmakers have floated Texas sports betting bills for years, but the same pattern keeps repeating: proposals generate noise, then stall before the finish line. HB 1942 was the most notable recent effort to gain traction, but it never became law, and the latest session did not even produce a bill that reached the House floor.

What momentum exists has come more from outside the chamber, driven by public sentiment and pressure from major Texas sports franchises. A Sports Betting Alliance made up of prominent teams has also pushed the issue, keeping the conversation alive even when legislation goes quiet.

A Brief History of Legislative Pushes in Texas

After the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was struck down in 2018, Texas had a clear opportunity to build a legal sports betting framework, but the state never capitalized on it. While many states moved quickly to regulate wagering, Texas instead drifted into a cycle of proposals, headlines, and dead ends, with no regulated market to show for it.

The most serious legislative push came in the 2021 to 2023 window, when lawmakers introduced measures such as HB 1942 and HJR 102 to legalize mobile sports betting through a constitutional amendment. Even with growing public attention, the effort could not clear the political choke points that matter most in Austin, and it failed to advance through the Senate process.

By 2024 and 2025, the pattern was hard to miss. Bills resurfaced, but nothing reached a full House vote before sessions ended, and organized opposition stayed loud, including a public letter from House Republicans calling legalization “dead on arrival.” The result is the same state of play Texans have lived with for years: plenty of debate, repeated stalled legislation, and no legal market yet.

How Things Stand in 2026

Betting Options	Is It Legal in the State?
Retail Sports Betting	Unregulated
Online Sports Betting	Unregulated
Tribal Casinos that House Sportsbooks	N/A
Pari-Mutuel Horse Racing Betting at Physical Tracks	Yes. Legal at licensed racetracks.
Horse Racing Betting Online	Unregulated
College Sports Betting	Unregulated
Esports Betting	N/A
Politics Betting	N/A
Entertainment Betting	N/A

Important Notes for Texans:

• DFS: Texas has a long-running split between law-on-paper and law-in-practice: the Attorney General’s 2016 opinion argued paid daily fantasy contests likely violate state gambling laws, but the opinion was nonbinding and did not itself change the statute. In reality, major DFS brands continue to operate and openly market availability to Texas residents, including real-money play.
• Horse Racing: Pari-mutuel wagering is allowed in Texas, but it is tightly location-based: bets on live and simulcast races are generally restricted to authorized racetrack enclosures. Texas law also expressly bars placing horse or greyhound wagers by telephone or over the internet from within the state, except for the limited “inside the enclosure” carveout.
• College Sports: Even without regulated sportsbooks in Texas, daily fantasy contests are widely available and often include college sports. The quirk is that NCAA rules still prohibit athletes and many athletics staff from participating in any form of sports wagering, and Texas schools have reported violations tied to legal DFS play.
• Esports: Texans can often access esports pick’em style contests through DFS operators that treat the action as fantasy, not sportsbook wagering. For example, certain Texas-active DFS operators actively offer esports projections and promote real-money esports fantasy play, which functions differently from traditional event-by-event sports betting.

Betting Using Offshore Sportsbooks in Texas

Many Texas bettors turn to internationally licensed sportsbooks as a workaround for placing online wagers. Because these platforms operate outside US regulation and Texas law does not squarely spell out a retail-style licensing framework for them, they are often described as a legal gray area rather than a clearly permitted, state-regulated option.

Typically licensed in jurisdictions like Anjouan or Curacao, these offshore betting sites attract bettors with bigger bonuses, deeper market coverage, and more live betting angles than you would expect from a limited menu. They also tend to offer flexible banking methods and faster payouts, especially when crypto is available.

Benefits	Potential Risks
Access to online betting despite no state-regulated market	No Texas or US regulator oversight if disputes arise
Bigger welcome offers and ongoing promos	Variable website quality, you must choose carefully
Deep markets across major and niche sports	Bonus terms can be stricter than they look
Strong live betting coverage with more in-play options	Banking rules can change by method or provider
Flexible payment methods, often including crypto	Responsible gambling tools may be limited or inconsistent

How Does Sports Betting in Texas Compare to Neighboring States?

Texas is among the most restrictive states in the region regarding sports wagering. Despite visible momentum in recent years, including organized pro-legalization efforts and polling that suggests meaningful public support, the state’s political leadership has kept the market frozen. The result is a familiar Texas pattern: plenty of demand, plenty of headlines, and no regulated path to place a bet inside state lines.

Across the border, the story changes fast. Several neighboring states have legalized wagering in some form, which is why many Texans travel to place bets legally, especially around major events and playoff runs. If travel is not realistic, many bettors look to internationally licensed sportsbooks as the practical alternative.

Louisiana

Louisiana offers both online and in-person sports betting, but it runs through a parish-by-parish approval system. That means sports betting is legal only in parishes where voters authorized it, so availability is broad but not universal across the state. Retail wagering arrived first, with mobile expanding the market soon after, and Louisiana now supports a mature mix of retail locations and regulated online sportsbooks.

Arkansas

Arkansas has allowed sports betting since 2019, with wagering available at the state’s three casinos. Compared with Texas, it’s a much simpler landscape: you have legal in-person betting, plus online options tied to the casinos. Arkansas is also more permissive on racing-related wagering than Texas, and it shares one important overlap with Texas: daily fantasy sports are widely available.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma is the closest neighbor to Texas in terms of sports betting restrictions, with no regulated online or retail sports betting market. The difference is that Oklahoma’s broader gaming ecosystem is more deeply shaped by tribal compacts, which creates a separate layer of negotiation and political friction. In practical terms, Texans looking for legal sportsbook access are still not finding it by heading north.

New Mexico

New Mexico sits in the middle. In-person sports betting is available at certain tribal casinos, but the state does not offer a fully regulated online market. That creates a split system where you can bet legally on-site at designated locations, but you lack the convenience of statewide mobile wagering.

Mobile Sports Betting & Texas Betting Apps

Without regulated online sports betting, Texas has no state-licensed mobile sportsbooks offering an official app-based experience, the way legal states do.

Even so, mobile remains the natural format for many Texans because it matches how sports are followed now: live scores, injury updates, and line movement all in one place. That preference shows up repeatedly in statewide polling, with surveys consistently finding majority support for legalization, which helps explain why mobile-friendly, internationally licensed platforms remain widely accessible and commonly used in practice despite the lack of local regulation.

From a practical standpoint, the best mobile experiences tend to be browser-first, with fast load times and layouts that mirror desktop without forcing endless scrolling. Live betting is where mobile really earns its keep, since you can react in real time. However, speed also increases the risk of impulsive clicks, so basic guardrails help: set a budget, use deposit limits where available, and avoid public Wi-Fi when logging in or moving money.

Most Popular Texas Teams to Bet on

As the second-largest state by both land area and population, Texas has 12 major professional teams and numerous collegiate teams, including 13 NCAA football programs.

We’ll take a closer look at some of the most popular Texas franchises to fade or tail below:

NFL	NBA	MLB	NHL	MLS	NCAA
Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans	Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs	Houston Astros, Texas Rangers	Dallas Stars	Austin FC, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo	Houston Cougars, Texas Longhorns, Texas Tech Red Raiders

Tips and Mistakes to Avoid

Any real-money wagering in Texas typically happens through internationally licensed platforms or out of state. With that in mind, these Texas-specific tips focus on the teams Texans follow most, plus the practical mistakes that show up when betting is not regulated locally.

1. Watch for “brand tax” lines on Texas favorites: Cowboys, Longhorns, Astros, and Spurs prices can get shaded by heavy public action, especially in prime time and marquee spots.
2. Treat Texas college rivalries as their own market: Games like Texas vs. Oklahoma can move quickly on injury and availability updates, so waiting too long often means watching the odds drift.
3. Assume prices vary and shop them: Even on the same Texas matchup, lines and prop prices can differ across books, particularly on NFL and college football.
4. Fade hype weeks when the math says so: Texas teams generate louder storylines than most markets, and narrative-heavy weeks can push numbers away from the matchup reality.
5. Treat promos like terms, not vibes: Bonus value is determined by rollover, eligible markets, max bet limits, and max cashout rules, not the headline percentage match.
6. If you travel to bet legally, treat timing as part of the edge: Crossing into Louisiana or New Mexico can open regulated options, but lines can move while you’re on the road, and in-play windows do not wait for a parking spot. Know what you want to bet before you go, and be ready to execute when the number you want appears.

Responsible Gambling in Texas

For plenty of Texans, betting interest is part of the sports conversation, and it’s easy to treat it as harmless entertainment. The risk is that excitement turns into chasing, and what starts as “just for fun” becomes a habit that feels harder to control than you expected.

The basics still matter. Set limits before you bet, track what you’re spending, and keep gambling inside a budget you can afford to lose. If it starts feeling less like entertainment and more like pressure, it’s worth talking to someone sooner rather than later.

Useful resources:

• Texas Lottery – Play responsibly 
• Gambler’s Anonymous 
• Gam-Anon

The Bottom Line

Texas sports betting remains in a familiar standoff: public interest continues to grow, but the legal framework has not kept pace. The state does not yet have a regulated market, and each legislative cycle tends to end the same way: proposals are debated loudly and then stalled by the realities of Texas politics. That disconnect between demand and the law is the defining feature of the current landscape.

What we’ve learned is that timing matters as much as opinion. Texas will not shift overnight, and any real change is likely to come through a longer process that depends on lawmakers first and voters next. In the meantime, many Texans turn to internationally licensed sportsbooks because they remain widely accessible, so the practical tip is simple: double-check terms, limits, and withdrawal rules before you place your first wager, since you do not have the same in-state consumer protections you would in a regulated market.