Is sports betting legal in Texas?
No. Texas has no law that allows sports betting, and its Penal Code makes a bet on the result of a game a Class C misdemeanor. SJR 16, a 2025 resolution to put sports wagering before voters, never got out of committee.
What the Penal Code says
Texas has no legal sportsbook, and the reason is in Chapter 47 of the Penal Code. Section 47.02 says a person commits an offense if he "makes a bet on the partial or final result of a game or contest or on the performance of a participant in a game or contest". That is a Class C misdemeanor. The same section lists some defenses, and I'm not a lawyer, so I'll point you to the text rather than tell you whether one fits you.
The book gets treated harder than the bettor. Section 47.03 makes engaging in bookmaking a Class A misdemeanor, and section 47.01 defines bookmaking by the numbers: receiving and recording or forwarding more than five bets in 24 hours, or more than $1,000 in bets in 24 hours, or a scheme by three or more people to do it. I always found that definition telling. The law draws a line between the man who makes a bet and the man who writes them for other people, and it comes down harder on the second.
There is no state regulator for sports betting, because there is nothing to regulate. No licensed app, no casino sportsbook, no counter.
What the legislature did
Proposals to change that have been filed. One was SJR 16 in the 2025 regular session, a constitutional amendment that would have allowed casino gaming at destination resorts and sports wagering and created a Texas Gaming Commission. Its record on Texas Legislature Online shows it was filed on 12 November 2024, read the first time and referred to the Senate State Affairs Committee on 3 February 2025, and nothing after that. The site's bill stages page marks it as failed. Whether another one gets further is something I won't guess at.
Where the offshore books fit
Offshore books take bets from Texas, but they are not licensed by Texas, and no Texas agency can make one pay you or settle a dispute. When a book holds your money and won't release it, the only leverage you have is the one the book gives you. I'd read the offshore sportsbooks section before handing one a dollar, and the VPN question before trying to bet a neighbouring state's app from Texas. If you drive over to a state that allows it and bet there, the winnings are still income: the IRS says gambling winnings are fully taxable.
If your betting is getting away from you, call 1-800-GAMBLER, and see our page on responsible gambling.
*Checked against the Texas Penal Code, Chapter 47 and Texas Legislature Online on 28 October 2026. Laws change; this page is re-checked every quarter. This is not legal advice.*
Related questions
Where is sports betting legal?
Of the 38 states we have checked, 31 allow legal sports betting in some form and 7 do not, as of 28 October 2026. The form varies a lot: some states let you bet on your phone anywhere inside their borders, others only at a casino counter, a tribal casino or through one state-run book.
How old do you have to be to bet on sports?
21 in most states that allow sports betting, and 18 in a few, New Hampshire and Rhode Island among them. The age that counts is the one set by the state you are in when you place the bet, so check that state's regulator.
Is sports betting legal in Oklahoma?
No. Oklahoma has not passed a law allowing sports betting, online or at the tribal casinos. The bill that would have let the tribes offer it, HB 1047, failed in the state Senate 21 to 27 on 22 April 2026.
Is sports betting legal in Louisiana?
Yes, parish by parish. Louisiana allows retail and mobile sports betting for adults 21 and over, but only in the parishes whose voters approved it, regulated by the Louisiana Gaming Control Board.