Although online gambling is illegal, there are several ways to access betting sites in Texas legitimately. However, you must be aware of the legal landscape and be careful not to sign up for sites operating without the required credentials.
As this article illustrates, one of the best ways to participate in sports betting in Texas currently is via sweepstakes sportsbooks. These platforms deal in virtual currency and differ from real-money gambling sites, meaning they’re legally available in Texas.
Read on to learn about sports betting sites in Texas and discover the latest attempts to legally bring BetMGM, DraftKings, and other real money betting sites to the state.
Legal Sports Betting in Texas: What You Need to Know
At this time, it is illegal to gamble in Texas. You cannot sign up for betting sites in Texas to wager on the NFL, NBA, or other sports. Equally, online casino gambling is illegal in Texas, meaning you can’t play slots or table games for real money.
However, several recent attempts to legalize gambling have been in the news. For instance, in February 2023, two separate bills were filed to get sports betting and land-based casino gambling on the November ballot[1].
Specifically, HJR 134, filed by Representative Sam Harless, seeks “a constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to legalize wagering in this state on certain sporting events.” HJR 137 is more complex and deals with issues around the taxation of sports and casino wagering in Texas.
News of these bills follows the announcement by Governor Greg Abbott that he wouldn’t stand in the way of sports gambling legislation.
Moreover, many Texans want to legally sign up for sportsbooks in the state. Research from the University of Texas in 2025 showed that 60% of Texans support legalizing online sports betting, signifying that there’s a chance the two recently proposed bills might pass[2].
For Texas’ gambling laws to be changed, the state constitution must be amended, which requires two-thirds approval in both chambers. It remains to be seen whether there’s sufficient potential support within the legislature for Texas to legalize sports betting under the current administration.
Which Types of Sports Betting are Currently Legal in Texas?
Given that you can’t currently place real money wagers on the NFL, NBA, or MLB in Texas, which types of betting can you participate in?
Well, parimutuel sports betting is currently legal. Also known as pool betting, parimutuel betting involves buying a ticket for a horse or dog race. If you pick the winner, you will share the prize pool with other winners. This is different from fixed-odds betting, which remains illegal.
Parimutuel betting is not available online, but you can get involved by visiting any of the three class-one venues where it is legal in the state: Lone Star Park, Retama Park, and Sam Houston Race Park.
Another option is participating in social or sweepstakes sports betting, which is perfectly legal in Texas. This type of wagering involves virtual currency, often gold coins and sweeps coins, which you can use to place virtual bets on NBA, MLB, and NFL matches.
If you win your bets with the virtual currency, you can redeem your coins for a cash prize or gift card, provided you meet the redemption limit.
One of Texas’s best sweepstakes sportsbooks is Fliff, the first of its kind in the US market. You can also check out Thrillzz, launched in April 2024, and ProphetX, which are also sweepstakes casinos that Texans can play at.
Another option is Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS), which falls into a grey area. It’s not explicitly illegal to play at DFS sites, and many have been operating in the state for a decade without issue. If you want to play at DFS sites like FanDuel and DraftKings, you can create an account in Texas. But note that all sports wagering on these platforms is currently illegal.
Getting Around the Legislation: VPNs and Offshore Sports Betting?
Some people point out that a Virtual Private Network (VPN) can hide your location, letting you gamble at online sportsbooks in Texas. While true, gambling site regulators are getting tougher on license holders who don’t do enough to prevent customers from circumventing geo-restrictions.
Not only is it illegal to sign up for a sportsbook account with a VPN from Texas, but it can also cause issues when withdrawing your funds. The sportsbook might ask you to complete Know Your Customer (KYC) procedures. This would require you to send an ID and proof of address to prove you are who you say you are and live where you say you live.
If you’ve signed up for a sportsbook in a different state, you have no way of showing that you’re a legitimate resident. As a result, the sportsbook wouldn’t be required to pay out your winnings, and you’d have no recourse.
Some others look to offshore betting sites regulated by jurisdictions like Curacao as alternatives to state-licensed books. These sportsbooks tend to be less worried about where their customers come from and don’t always perform regular KYC checks.
But the point remains. Signing up to an offshore betting site in Texas is illegal, and your safety isn’t guaranteed. Again, what can you do if the sportsbook refuses to pay your winnings? You can’t report the book to law enforcement in Texas, as you broke the law to play at the site.
So, while the temptation is there, we strongly advise against using a VPN or signing up for an offshore sports betting platform. If you want to bet on sports now in Texas, sign up for a sweepstakes sportsbook.
The Top Betting Sites in Texas: Which Platforms Can We Expect?
We hope and expect the bills presented in February 2025 to be discussed and passed to the next stage by the end of the year. Depending on the framework implemented by the state legislature, we could see legalized sports betting in Texas in 2026 or 2027.
With that in mind, which sportsbooks will we see in Texas if sports betting is legalized? Many of the main players have already shown an interest in launching in Texas, California, and several other states where sports betting is currently illegal.
For example, BetMGM CEOAdam Greenblatt announced that Texas is in the company’s “near-term model,” signifying that the betting giant would be keen to open in the state should the required legislation pass[3].
BetMGM is one of the US market’s biggest and most popular sportsbooks. The site offers competitive odds, various promotions, and extensive markets for NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB fans.
BetMGM is currently legal in most US states where online sports betting is permitted, including Arizona, Colorado, Washington DC, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
We expect BetMGM to be one of the first sportsbooks available in Texas online gambling to become legal. The site would likely be joined by the following:
- DraftKings: We also expect DraftKings to be legally available in Texas. Known to Texans as one of the best places for DFS, DraftKings is home to an excellent sportsbook with great odds and good value betting options.
- FanDuel: Very similar to DraftKings, FanDuel made its reputation as a DFS site. Today, it operates a top-rated sportsbook and casino. We expect FanDuel to enter the Texan market as soon as it’s legal.
- Fanatics Sportsbook: We also hope to see Fanatics enter the Texan market when sports betting is legalized. Though similar to DraftKings and FanDuel, Fanatics is a hugely successful sports betting brand with a growing customer base in the North American market.
Final Thoughts on the Best Betting Sites in Texas
At the time of writing, the top legal sports betting sites in Texas are social sites like Fliff and Thrillzz. Both betting sites offer sweepstakes betting options for Texans and are legally available throughout the state.
However, given that new bills were introduced in the Texas legislature at the beginning of 2025, we expect further developments regarding the legalization of sports betting in Texas by the end of the year.
As a result, if online sports betting becomes legal in Texas in 2026 or 2027, we expect top betting sites like DraftKings, BetMGM, FanDuel, and Fanatics to enter the market. Keep up to date with the latest developments on this page, and sign up for the top betting sites in Texas when they become legal.
[1] https://www.covers.com/industry/texas-lawmakers-take-shot-at-sports-betting-casinos-bill-feb-13-2025
[2] https://uh.edu/news-events/stories/2025/february/02042025-tx-leg-gambling.php
[3] https://www.covers.com/industry/texas-california-legalization-effort-sports-betting-odds-march-2024