Real money online casinos are not legal in Texas. The only online casino options available to Texans are social and sweepstakes casinos like Pulsz, Chumba Casino, and Luckyland Slots. These can be played for fun or for the chance to win cash prizes.

Commercial casino gambling is also prohibited in Texas. There is one tribal casino in Texas offering Type-2 casino games. It is owned and operated by the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas. The Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino Hotel offers slots, non-banked card games like poker and bingo to patrons who visit the facility in Eagle Pass near the Mexico border.

Real money online poker is not legal in Texas. However, Texans can play poker online at social and sweepstakes sites such as Global Poker. Poker rooms and card rooms operate in Texas but do so by insisting upon memberships and charging for seat time — and, most importantly, not taking a rake. These clubs are currently ensnared in a legal debate, originating in Dallas. The case revolves around what constitutes “economic benefits” from poker. Piling onto the debate are a few legislative efforts dealing with semantics.  One would change the language of the law, handing questions of their legality over to the counties. Another would change the language of the law, redefining what constitutes a “private poker club.”

There are three active horse racetracks in Texas at present, all in major population centers. Modern horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering on the results became legal in Texas in 1987. Subsequent changes to the law allowed for simulcast wagering at each licensed facility. Thus, each racetrack houses its own off-track betting location for races around the country, but there are no standalone OTB sites in the state. Online horse betting, which allowed for Advance Deposit Wagering, on sites like TVG remains illegal under Texas law. Currently, a larger debate embroils Texas horse racing.  The Texas Racing Commission and the federal Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority are at odds. The results have cost Texas racetracks millions of dollars in purses and many jobs, and no compromise is yet in the offing.

Daily fantasy sports contests are available for play in Texas. Like other states, Texas has no law explicitly authorizing or prohibiting DFS. Sites like DraftKings and FanDuel operate in a legal gray area. That said, the issue of DFS’s legality has been a matter of contention over recent years.

In 2016, Attorney General Ken Paxton opined that daily fantasy sports contests are gambling under state law and are illegal. DraftKings responded by filing a lawsuit. The lawsuit continues today, and there is no timeline for any kind of resolution. A 2021 legislative effort to make DFS legal passed out of committee favorably, but never received a floor vote.

At the moment, Texans shouldn’t worry too much about playing DFS. Any legal recourse pursued by the AG will target the operators and not the players.

The Texas Lottery became legal in the state through a legislative action in 1991 and began selling tickets in 1992. Its goal is to provide funding for education in the state. However, Texas also allocates lottery tax dollars to veterans associations. The Texas Lottery offers draw games and scratchers at thousands of retail locations throughout the state. It also participates in the popular multi-state drawings Mega Millions and Powerball. Top Texas-specific draw games include Lotto Texas and Texas Two-Step. Lottery tickets can be purchased online through courier services like Jackpocket and Jackpot.

There is no legal sports betting in Texas. None of the legislative sessions since 2018 have borne any fruit for sports bettors in Texas. As is the case with most Texas gambling bills, there hasn’t even been a floor vote on the question. Texas lawmakers have softened to sports betting since PASPA, due mostly to the prevalence of the expansive offshore market.

The 2023 legislative session is underway and both online and retail sports betting bills have been filed. At the moment, the odds appear slightly better for stand alone online sports betting than for retail.