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, Fliff, 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 are two tribal locales in Texas offering Type-II casino games. 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. Naskila Casino in Livingston (deep East Texas) offers electronic bingo.

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, 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. In the 2023 Legislature session, a couple of bills were introduced to clarify laws around poker rooms in Texas. None were signed into law.

There are three active horse racetracks in Texas at present in Houston, San Antonio, and Grand Prairie. 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 allows 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 Texas and FanDuel Texas operate in a legal gray area. That said, the issue of DFS’s legality has been a matter of contention over recent years.

Years ago, 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 2023 legislative effort to make DFS legal passed out of the State House, but died in the Texas Senate.

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. 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, and none of the legislative sessions since 2018 have produced any results for sports bettors. Texas lawmakers have softened toward sports betting since PASPA, however, due mainly to the prevalence of the expansive offshore market. In fact, online sports betting legislation passed the House for the first time in 2023. However, it never received a hearing in the Senate.

Despite online and retail sports betting bills failing during the 2023 legislative session, the progress made can be a foundation to build upon in 2025.