state · United States
Online gambling and sports betting in Texas
Texas still prohibits online casino and sports betting, and no licensed online or retail sportsbooks are operating. The cited sources identify no state online-gambling regulator or operator list, and legislative change is still pending.
- Online sports betting
- Not legal
- Online casino
- Not legal
- Retail sports betting
- Not legal
- Online live since
- —
Checked 2026-09-21. Not legal advice.
- Online betting and casino legal 7
- Online sports betting only 27
- No legal online gambling 17
Boundaries: US Census Bureau (public domain), via geoBoundaries
Casino, sports betting, poker and more
Texas has no licensed online casino or poker market, and no legal online sportsbook system. Poker is treated as unauthorized gambling; sports betting is also illegal/unlicensed. Casino-style online games are likewise not authorized, while private social poker games may fit narrow defenses if the house does not profit.
| Product | Status | What that means |
|---|---|---|
| Online sports betting | Not legal | — |
| Online casino | Not legal | — |
| Online poker | Prohibited | Real-money online poker is not licensed or regulated in Texas; state law treats unauthorized gambling as illegal. |
| Sweepstakes and social casinos | Unregulated | Texas has no sweepstakes-casino-specific ban or cease-and-desist found; SB 517 (2025) failed, and operators appear to remain available. |
| Prediction markets | Licensed | Kalshi, Polymarket, Crypto.com event contracts: status: licensed. CFTC Designated Contract Market / registered derivatives venues under Commodity Exchange Act 1936; Texas Penal Code Chapter 47 not applied; no Texas enforcement to 2026. Robinhood event contracts in Texas: status: unregulated. No Texas- or CFTC-specific licensing or enforcement references located for Robinhood event contracts by 2026. |
| Mystery boxes | Unregulated | Set nationally. Unregulated federally; FTC 2025 settlement required loot-box disclosures, but no U.S. law/regulator has classified paid mystery boxes or loot boxes as gambling. |
Key facts
- No state-licensed online sportsbooks operate in Texas.
- No state-licensed retail sportsbooks operate in Texas.
- No state-licensed online casinos operate in Texas.
- Texas has no published regulator list of licensed online operators.
- The cited sources point to no Texas licensing regime for online gambling.
Regulator and law
No online gambling regulator — online gambling is not legal here.
Texas Penal Code § 47.02; Texas Constitution Art. III § 47.
Advertising unlicensed gambling in Texas
Not confirmed. unconfirmed.
No confirmed Texas provision in the gathered sources.
National rules also apply — see online gambling regulation in United States.
Checking a licence
No public list of licensed online operators was found.
Recent developments
- Sources as of Sept. 2026 still report no legalized online or retail sports betting in Texas.
- A 2026 tracker says the next regular Texas legislative session begins Jan. 12, 2027.
What we could not confirm
- Whether any agency administers limited pari-mutuel or lottery-related gaming is outside the cited sources.
- Any specific advertising ban on unlicensed/offshore gambling is not confirmed in the sources gathered.
- A single authoritative Texas government source on online-gambling regulation was not identified in the gathered material.
- Whether Texas courts or regulators have expressly approved sweepstakes casinos/poker models
- Whether any Texas-specific enforcement or guidance exists for prediction markets like Kalshi or Polymarket
- Whether paid mystery boxes/loot boxes are treated as gambling or merely consumer products in Texas
Sources
- wagerlayer.com/state-guides/texas/
- oddstrader.com/usa/texas/
- legalsportsbetting.com/texas/
- wisestaker.com/gambling-laws/texas/
- mytopsportsbooks.com/usa/texas/sports-betting-legal/
- betsmart.co/articles/sports-betting-in-texas
- rg.org/guides/regulations
- rotowire.com/betting/texas
- legaluspokersites.com/state-laws/texas/
- allowedhere.com/legality/online-casinos/texas/
- pokerfuse.com/online-poker/texas/
- pokernews.com/us-poker/tx/
- beatthefish.com/states/texas/
- versustexas.com/criminal/is-gambling-illegal-in-texas/
- pokerlistings.com/us-poker-rooms/texas-online-poker
- sweepschoice.com/news/texas-sweepstakes-casinos-legal-status-2026-refresh/
- sweepsy.com/us/texas/
- sweepstakeswiz.com/states/texas/
- ansvya.com/state-guides/texas/
- actionnetwork.com/prediction-markets/kalshi/texas
- rotogrinders.com/sports-betting/kalshi/texas
- nextpredict.io/legal/texas/
- ftw.usatoday.com/story/sports/2026/09/18/is-kalshi-legal-in-texas-september-2026-guide/91015065007/
- predictionmarketspicks.com/learn/is-kalshi-legal-in-texas
Researched 2026-09-21 from public sources and summarised by the Brandfense team. Not legal advice — confirm with the regulator or your counsel before acting.