?Current Status of Texas Online Casino and Gambling Regularization

Here are the latest legal developments right now.

• Feb. 13, 2024 – Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry posted a video on X in support of sports betting in Texas.
• Dec. 29, 2023 – Mark Cuban in news again. NBA has approved Mark Cuban’s sale of his majority shares in the Dallas Mavericks to the Adelson and Dumont families.
• Dec. 6, 2023 – Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is skeptical and believes there is not enough support in Senate about online gambling legislation and follow up.
• Nov. 6, 2023 – Mark Cuban lends his support for Texas casino gambling.
• Oct. 20, 2023 – A 70,000-square-foot casino on the Oklahoma-Texas border is planned.
• July 27, 2023 – A TX player wins $4 million in recent Mega Millions drawing on July 25. This creates some excitement about legal gambling in the state.
• June 26, 2023 – The Alabama-Coushatta Tribe advertised big for its Naskila Gaming electronic bingo hall located in Livingston.
• May 12, 2023 – Casino legislation fails to move and gain any traction.

? Best Texas Online Casino Real Money & Online Gambling Sites

Although online casinos are not legal Texas, you have some legal options when you want to play casino-style jackpot slots or table games online.

Texas has not regulated online gambling like many other states of the US, including neighboring Louisiana, Arkansas, or Arizona. So Texans do not have a BetMGM Texas casino or Caesars Texas sportsbook to bet online. It is still possible to win some real money playing Vegas slots at sweepstakes casinos online. Texians can play online casino games at social casino sites such as Pulsz, Wow Vegas, and Chumba. BonusFinder has researched the best TX casino gaming options.

? Play for Free, Win Real Money

According to the sweepstakes law, you do not need to deposit money, make any real money purchase, or purchase anything to enter a sweepstakes promotion.

You get 2.3 sweepstake coins for free, which is essentially Pulsz casino no-deposit bonus when you register your new account to play online. There are gold coin purchase options, but those are totally optional.

Social casino gaming is more about fun and entertainment, but it is possible to redeem prizes of up to $10,000 a day by playing Pulsz casino games. It is not essentially online gambling and it has to follow sweepstakes rules.

Pulsz Sweepstakes is as close as it gets to legal online gambling sites when you want to play at a TX real money online casino. It offers you casino-type slot machines online and lets you win real money subject to prize redemption terms and conditions.

Nobody can force you to buy them as per the sweepstakes promotional rules in the USA. You do not gamble online with them in the Lone Star State or pay anything like the usual real money online casinos.

Online gambling in Texas is prohibited. And sweepstakes coins, gold coins, redemption of prizes, cash prizes, and social gaming is the legal way to enjoy something close to Texas casino gaming.

Players have access to popular deposit and withdawal methods for banking. You can purchase game play packages using American Express, Visa, MasterCard (credit cards, debit cards), Apple Pay, Skrill online wallet, etc.

Social gaming casinos are available to play on desktop computer browsers, mobile phone browsers, apps, on tablets, Windows app and sometimes as an Amazon app. You also get responsible gaming controls and customer support for a nice social casino experience.

Play Slots for Fun

Not all sweepstakes and social casino sites are about real money. It is more about fun gaming. For example, you can play online slots just like online casinos at Gambino Slots, Hard Rock social casinos, or BetRivers.net, but you cannot get any actual cash redemption from those sites.

You can play for example, over 200 slot games, at Wow Vegas with welcome bonus and daily login bonuses. Popular games include the Single Deck Blackjack, European Roulette, Baccarat and Megaways games such as the Buffalo King Megaways, Big Bass Megaways, Crystal Caverns Megaways and Elemental Gems Megaways.

Social casinos remain hugely popular in the US as players can use them in most of the states in the USA to redeem various cash prizes. Online gambling is still not legal in many US states including the Lone Star state and Social casinos remain very popular avenues.

Using sweepstakes promotion casinos is better than playing at blacklisted offshore casino sites who do are not accountable to American laws and regulations.

? Online Casinos and Sportsbooks Possible in Future

It is very unlikely that the Texas public and legislature will consider legalizing sports betting and casino gambling in the near future. Texas online gambling has perhaps a bleak future. The crude oil state is rich in resources, and there is no pressure to regulate gambling to generate more public revenue. In short, there is no incentive for public and lawmakers to ask for legal sports betting.

A 2021 poll conducted by The Dallas Morning News and the University of Texas at Tyler revealed that 57% of Texans support allowing casino gambling. The opposition was only 29%, and 13% of those surveyed said that it did not matter to them.

43% of people supported possible sports betting legalization, 26% opposed it, and 31% said that it does not matter to them. So the support for casino gaming is higher than for sportsbook betting if this survey is to be believed.

In any case, it suggests that people may not be opposed to online gambling in Texas. It is not on anyone’s priority list, just the same.

There are estimates that Texans spend over $2 billion in gambling in other states. Also, they may be spending on online offshore casino sites through a Google search. Not everyone can visit the Eagle Pass or Naskila Gaming brick-and-mortar casinos or drive to other states.

All that money (not under the radar) could be taxable and used for social welfare and education if there were legal online TX gambling options. There have been multiple attempts at legislation by lawmakers but nothing came to fruition for Texas online gambling.

Online Gambling Casino Apps

You can expect all usual mobile casino operators to apply for Texas license if someday in future the state seeks commercial casinos and online gambling applicants. You can play jackpot slots, table games, Bingo, live dealer games or online poker someday in the future perhaps. Here is what these online casinos provide in other states as sign up welcome bonuses.

• BetMGM Casino: 100% reputable with $25 promo money
• DraftKings Casino: Dependable no deposit bonus casino offer + deposit match
• Golden Nugget: Deposit $5, get $50
• Caesars Palace Online Casino: $2,500 deposit match bonus
• FanDuel Online Casino: Play it Again for verified gamblers
• BetRivers Online Casino: 100% up to $1,000 bonues

Sportsbook Apps

Best Texas online sportsbooks, when available, will be available as mobile apps apart from the for desktop website version. All you will need to do is to download the apps for gambling in Texas, make your new sportsbook account, and start playing online.

• BetMGM Sportsbook
• Golden Nugget Sportsbook
• BetRivers Sports Betting App
• Fanatics Sportsbook
• Caesars Sportsbook
• FanDuel
• ESPN Bet
• DraftKings, and others

? TX Legal Gambling 2024 Explained

State lottery remains the most popular legal avenue to win jackpot amounts in Texas.

There are many ways to gamble legally in the state and not violate the Texas Penal Code. Only they are not available online and you need to visit the retail store or race track.

• Statewide Lottery: for jackpots, scratch games
• Pari-mutuel wagering: or pool betting; horse racing, dog racing
• Tribal casinos: not many options for land based casinos but they are there
• Charitable games: Charitable Bingo, subject to rules
• Daily Fantasy Sports: DFS is disputed, no clarity on status
• Private poker clubs: again no clarity; disputed
• Poker games in TX homes: no online video poker; private poker clubs remain questionable

Texas Lottery

TX Official lottery mobile application is available for smartphone devices. You will need to visit the retailer to buy tickets or to redeem any coupon code or discount you get on the app.

House Bill 54 creating the TX lottery was signed by the Governor in a special session in 1991. The Lottery Act was approved by voters with a 2-1 margin. Texas Lottery launched on May 29, 1992. In the first 24 hours, Texans set a world record for first-day sales at over 23 million sales.

In FY 2021, the lottery achieved $8.107 billion in sales. About $2 billion went for educational purposes and for veterans.

Tickets can be bought only from retailers. Lottery tickets are not available for purchase on the app or on the Commission’s website.

Texas Lottery’s official app is also available online at Google Play Store and App Store for Android and iOS devices. You may get some digital coupon and discount if you use the app but you will still need to visit the retail stores to scan the QR code.

18+ years or older (18+) is the age limit to purchase lottery tickets.

Popular lottery games include Powerball, Mega Millions, Lotto Texas, Texas Two Step, Cash Five, Scratch ticket games, and All or Nothing.

$5,000 Frenzy, $1,000,000 Frenzy, Triple $$$ (Veterans), $20 Million Supreme, $1,000,000 Crossword, $1,000,000 Diamond Riches, $1,000,000 Cash Bowout, 200X Cash Blitz, Million Dollar Lotteria are some popular games in the Texas Lottery Scratch Ticket game list (2021-23). Prices can be as low as $2 per ticket and as high as $20 or more.

Horse Racing, Greyhound Racing

Texas Racing Commission licenses and regulates the sport of pari-mutuel greyhound and horse racing. The Commission enforces the Texas Racing Act (Subtitle A-1, Title 13, Texas Occupations Code).

Texas has been home to 10 licensed racetracks providing live and simulcasted horse and greyhound racing.

The TXRC oversees nine track license holders currently. Four race tracks actively conduct horse race days during the year : namely, the Gillespie County Fair & Festivals in Fredericksburg; Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie; Retama Park in Selma, near San Antonio; and Sam Houston Race Park in Houston. Gulf Coast Racing and Valley Race Park relate to greyhound racing.

The Texas Racing Commission adopts changes to its rules on a regular basis to regulate the racing industry. You have access to all rules and regulations on their website.

Bingo Halls and Charitable Gaming

Texas state law clearly states that “Bingo is one of the few forms of legal gambling in the state of Texas.” It is only allowed for certain organizations.

The state has many charitable Bingo halls. Their proceeds go to nonprofits. Charitable gaming raffles and casino nights are also legal in the state.

The Charitable Bingo Operations Division of the Texas Lottery Commission is charged with regulating Bingo.

? TX Online Sports Betting

Online sports betting or retail sports betting is not an option in the state. It is not clear when the state will regulate sportsbooks and legal online betting.

TX online betting or sports gambling not going to be on the table in forseeable future even if other states are legalizing retail and online sports betting with apps like BetMGM, FanDuel, DraftKings, or BetRivers expanding to different states opening up the market.

What will it take to legalize sports betting and allow different sports betting apps for Android phones and iOS devices so that bettors can bet from anywhere in the Lone Star state? Well, the Texas Consitution bans gambling. So obviously the Consitution will need to be amended. Legally speaking, the bill to amend the state Constitution will require 2-3rd approval of the House and Senate. Then another sports betting bill and Texas law will be needed to institutionalize gambling licenses. This should also create a Texas Gambling Authority or Commission (or expand the role of the Lottery Commission to regulate online gambling apps and websites). The amendments will need to be approved by voter majority.

You cannot expect any referendum before voters unless there is social support and demand for the measure. Right now no lawmaker is asking for votes seeking to provide legalization of online betting or casino games that pay real money. If there is no discussion about these things, then there is not going to be a change in the laws.

? Land Based Texas Casinos

Native Indian communities in the state operate commercial casinos in Texas which you can visit to play slot machines and some other games. You can enjoy casino gambling at these sites while you wait for Texas online casino sites, legal online gambling, mobile casino apps, or online poker.

Speaking Rock Entertainment Center, El Paso and Naskila Gaming have been part of litigation and dispute for violation of Indian Gaming Regulatory Act for gambling in Texas.

• The Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas: Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino, Eagle Pass. You can play slots, poker, and bingo games. See more details about the Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino on their website luckyeagletexas.com. Their physical address is 794 Lucky Eagle Drive, Eagle Pass, Texas. The Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino Hotel is the only true casino in the state. It offers different slot machines or dealer poker. The physical casino is located on the border between US and Mexico.
• Alabama-Coushatta Tribe: Naskila Gaming, Livingston. You can visit the website of the “luckiest spot in Texas” at www.naskila.com and at the address 540 State Park Road 56, Livingston, Texas. There are roughly 800 machines on the property. It has the status of a Class II designation. It is located in Livingston, about an hour north of Houston.

Last updated: 07/26/2024