Texas betting sites: what the law says and what the books' terms say
Texas has no licensed sportsbook. Its Penal Code makes a bet on a game an offence, and the bills to change that in 2025 never left committee. Offshore books are another matter, and this page sets out, book by book, only what their own terms say about Texas.
What Texas law says
Chapter 47 of the Texas Penal Code is the state's gambling law, and it's short and blunt. Section 47.02 says a person commits an offence 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's a Class C misdemeanor for the bettor. Taking the bet is treated harder: under section 47.03, bookmaking is gambling promotion, a Class A misdemeanor (the law counts more than five bets, or more than $1,000 in bets, recorded in 24 hours as bookmaking).
The statute lists its defences, and a sportsbook isn't among them. There's the private game, where nobody takes a cut and everyone has the same odds. There's the state lottery, bingo and raffles run under the Occupations Code, and racing under the Texas Racing Act. That's why you can bet a horse at a Texas track and can't bet the Cowboys with a Texas-licensed book. There isn't one.
The 2025 bills
In the 2025 regular session two joint resolutions proposed amending the Texas Constitution to allow sports wagering, which would have sent the question to the voters. HJR 134 was filed on 12 February 2025 and referred to the House State Affairs committee on 19 March. SJR 16, which would also have allowed resort casinos, was referred to Senate State Affairs on 3 February. The legislature's own records show neither got further than committee. I'd not hold my breath on a date; I'd watch the legislature's site, not the rumors.
What the books we review say about Texas
None of the sportsbooks we review names Texas in the terms we read, for or against. What some do is list the US states they refuse, and Texas isn't on those lists. Others refuse the whole United States. Here is what each review records, and nothing more.
| Book | What its terms say about US states |
|---|---|
| Bovada | Bars 19 states and DC; Texas is not one of them |
| BookMaker | Bars Kentucky, New Jersey, Ohio and Tennessee |
| BetNow | Bars New Jersey |
| Bookie.ag | Lists 47 restricted countries and no US state |
| BUSR | Lists restricted countries and no US state |
| BetMania | Lists the United States as a country it doesn't accept |
| BetPhoenix | Lists the United States as a country it doesn't accept |
| Skybook | Lists the United States as a country it doesn't accept |
For the rest of the books we review, the review found no list of US states in the terms it could read, so I can't tell you either way. Not being on a refused list isn't the same as a promise to take you, and I'd ask support in writing before a deposit.
Where that leaves a Texan
An offshore book isn't licensed by Texas. Nobody in Austin can make it pay you, and a book that takes your bet hasn't made the bet legal where you live. The offshore sportsbooks page explains what a player gives up outside a state license, and the Texas question page answers the legal question on its own.
I'd also be careful with books that refuse the United States in their terms and take Cash App on the cashier page. A rule like that sits quietly until you win, and then it's the first thing the book reads. If you want the rules on hiding where you are, the VPN page covers them.
Whatever you decide, decide your loss limit first. The national helpline is 1-800-GAMBLER, and our responsible gambling page lists the tools a book should give you.
*Checked against the Texas Penal Code, chapter 47 and Texas Legislature Online on 28 October 2026. The books' terms are as our reviews read them in October 2026. Laws change; this page is re-checked every quarter. This is not legal advice.*