Texas currently does not allow real money online casinos.
That said, those in Texas wanting to play casino games online can still enjoy many social and sweepstakes casinos. These online casino sites feature slots, table games, and even live dealer games in some cases.
On this page, we’ll run down the current state of Texas online casinos and what may come in the future. We’ll provide information about the social and sweeps sites, plus a comprehensive look at what Texans can expect if real money online casinos come to the Lone Star State.
Best Texas online casino options
Are online casinos legal in Texas?
No. Texas has not been enthusiastic about expanding legalized gambling. Lawmakers have discussed retail casinos and have been even more serious about possibly legalizing sports betting, though no bills have managed to advance.
Don’t expect real money online casinos in Texas to become legal before those other types of gambling.
Texas online casino alternatives
As noted, while Texas online casinos are not an option, you can enjoy casino games online via social and sweepstakes casinos. These sites use virtual currencies in their games and are free to play, although you can purchase coins as well. In some cases, the sites offer ways to redeem your winnings for cash prizes.
Here are some top social and sweeps cash casinos available to Texas players.
Stake.us
Stake.us features an attractive, user-friendly design that makes it easy to find your preferred games among its 700 slots. Plus, Stake has blackjack, roulette, a great selection of live dealer games, scratch cards, wheel games, crash games, and others.
There are also many promos and bonuses at Stake.us, including Daily Races, Bonus Drops, Multiplier Drops, Weekly Slot Battles, and the Stake Weekly Raffle. Note that Stake.us is a little different from other social and sweepstakes sites in that it uses only cryptocurrency for coin purchases and prize redemptions.
Pulsz Casino
Given the recent wave of new social and sweeps sites, Pulsz Casino has become one of the “classics” after many years online. Pulsz has more than 700 slots, including many from top developers like NetEnt, Playson, and Relax Gaming. You’ll find table games at Pulsz, too, including multi-hand blackjack and Texas hold’em.
Pulsz offers frequent promos that are worth checking out every time you log in. Look for Jackpot Race Thursdays, Weekend Wins and Drops, Hold and Win Tournaments, and various giveaways both on the site and via social media.
WOW Vegas
WOW Vegas also rates highly among sweeps casinos with its 700-plus slots, including popular titles like Buffalo King Megaways and Big Bass Bonanza. The slot library is constantly expanding at WOW Vegas and features many exclusive slots and others from studios like NetGaming, Betsoft, and Habanero.
WOW Vegas is also great for its frequent promotions, including daily and weekly coin giveaways, plus fun features like the Wowzer Prize Drop Games, Lunchtime Loot, Wake Up and Win, and more. What’s more, WOW Vegas maintains a significant social media presence where you can pick up additional WOW Coins and Sweeps Coins.
McLuck Casino
McLuck Casino is a relatively new site full of top slots from developers like NetEnt, Pragmatic, and Playson. These include popular games — like Twin Spin, Starburst, and Butterfly 2 Staxx — that you’ll find at real money casinos.
Besides its 750-plus slots, McLuck offers live dealer games, including blackjack, roulette, and baccarat. Ongoing promos are frequent as well, including fun ones like the many McJackpots, the login bonuses, and social media games like Image Match and Complete the Puzzle.
Other sweepstakes casino options in the state
Loyal Royal Social Casino
MoonSpin Online Casino
Punt.com Casino
Understanding Texas casino laws
In accordance with Texas gambling laws, there are no retail casinos in Texas — retail or online. Efforts to introduce retail casinos have involved various parties, including casino operators lobbying the state’s lawmakers to push forward possible legislation. But nothing substantial has come of those efforts.
Meanwhile, online gambling for real money remains prohibited in Texas, as well.
There are three tribal casinos in Texas that offer Class II gambling games (e.g., electronic bingo and non-banked card games). Each is operated by one of the three federally recognized Native American tribes in Texas. The casinos are overseen by the National Indian Gaming Commission.
- Retail casinos? Yes
- Number of casinos in Texas: Three tribal casinos with Class II gaming
- Casino gambling age: 21 at Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino Hotel (Eagle Pass) and Naskila Casino (Livingston); 18 at Speaking Rock Entertainment Center (El Paso)
- Top online casino alternatives: Stake.us, Pulsz Casino, WOW Vegas
- Casino slots: Classic slots, multi-line slots, progressive jackpot slots
- Casino table games: Blackjack, roulette, baccarat
Who regulates Texas casinos?
The Texas Lottery Commission oversees most forms of legal gambling in the state. However, the National Indian Gaming Commission primarily oversees the three tribal casinos operating in Texas.
Prior bills to legalize sports betting in Texas have also designated the Texas Lottery Commission as the presumptive regulatory body for the new market. That would indicate the same governing body would likely oversee Texas online casinos if they were legalized.
Will online casinos ever be legal in Texas?
Legalizing online casinos in Texas would be a heavy lift even if there were significant support among lawmakers, which there is not. The state constitution would need to be changed to allow for online casinos. That would require two-thirds of both the Texas House and the Texas Senate to vote in favor. Then, Texas voters would have to approve the change on the next November ballot.
That process would be needed for any type of gambling expansion, including legalizing sports betting or introducing retail casinos. In our estimation, both sports betting and retail casinos will likely have to be authorized before online casinos can be seriously considered.
How are winnings from casinos taxed in Texas?
Texas is like most states when it comes to gambling winnings and federal income taxes. From the perspective of the IRS, your winnings in casinos, from the Texas Lottery, or from any other form of legal gambling are considered additional income and should be reported along with your other income. Thus, you are taxed at the same rate for your gambling winnings as you are for your other income — the percentage determined by your tax bracket.
If you win big at a casino or when playing the lottery, the provider may withhold some of your winnings right away. If that happens, you should report the withholdings, too, when filing your federal income tax return. That way, you are credited for having already paid taxes on your winnings. Regardless of whether any of your winnings are withheld, though, you still are obligated to pay federal income tax on your gambling winnings.
Notably, Texas explicitly does not require you to pay state income tax on gambling winnings. That’s different from most states. You, therefore, don’t need to worry about reporting your gambling winnings as income when filing your state income tax return in Texas.
How to sign up at online casinos
Registering a new account at an online casino is a fast, simple process that usually takes only a couple of minutes. You must provide some personal information so that the site can verify your identity and age. Then, you’ll agree to the site’s terms. You don’t have to deposit funds right away, and you can often play demo games for free before you do.
With social and sweepstakes sites, the process is similar and, in many cases, even easier because you don’t usually have to give quite as much information when signing up. Usually, the social and sweeps sites supply you with some coins as well as a welcome bonus, and you can start playing games immediately.
At real money online casinos, you will need to deposit funds with which to play, and you’ll later be able to withdraw money as well. With the sweeps sites, you don’t deposit or withdraw. Instead, you purchase base coins (if you want) while also having the chance to redeem premium coins (given for free) for cash prizes and gift cards. In either case, you can usually use debit and credit cards, online banking, PayPal, and other third-party payment processors and other methods to facilitate transactions.
Are there retail casinos in Texas?
You might be surprised to learn there are, in fact, retail casinos in Texas. Three tribal casinos offer Class II gaming (electronic bingo, non-banked card games). Each is operated by one of the state’s federally recognized Native American tribes.
| Casino | Table Games | Slot Games* | Type | Owner/Operator | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino Hotel | Yes (poker) | Yes | Tribal | Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas | 794 Lucky Eagle Drive, Eagle Pass, TX 78852 | 800-255-8259 |
| Naskila Casino | No | Yes | Tribal | Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas | 333 State Park Road 56, Livingston, TX 77351 | 936-563-2946 |
| Speaking Rock Entertainment Center | No | Yes | Tribal | Tigua Indians of the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo | 122 S. Old Pueblo Road, El Paso, TX 79907 | 915-860-7777 |
*Note that the slots in these facilities are technically electronic bingo games that play similarly to slots.
As discussed above, legal retail casino gaming in Texas is entirely limited to these tribe-operated facilities. Texas gambling laws strictly forbid any commercial casinos at present.
Closest casinos outside of Texas
Texas is a big state, and it takes a long time to drive across it. However, those near the state’s borders who wish to play games in retail casinos do have some options in neighboring states. Here are some of the closest casinos to Texas:
| Casino | Table Games | Slot Games | Type | Owner/Operator | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WinStar World Casino and Resort | Yes | Yes | Tribal | The Chickasaw Nation | 777 Casino Avenue, Thackerville, OK 73459 | 866-946-7787 |
| Zia Park Casino Hotel & Racetrack | Yes (electronic table games) | Yes | Commercial racino | Gaming and Leisure Properties/Penn Entertainment | 3901 W. Millen Drive, Hobbs, NM 88240 | 888-942-7275 |
| Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort | Yes | Yes | Commercial racino | Oaklawn Jockey Club, Inc. | 2705 Central Avenue, Hot Springs, AR 71901 | 501-623-4411 |
| Boomtown Bossier City | Yes | Yes | Commercial casino | Gaming and Leisure Properties/Penn Entertainment | 300 Riverside Drive, Bossier City, LA 71111 | 318-746-0711 |
| Horseshoe Bossier City | Yes | Yes | Commercial casino | Caesars Entertainment | 711 Horseshoe Boulevard, Bossier City, LA 71111 | 800-895-0711 |
| Margaritaville Resort Casino | Yes | Yes | Commercial casino | Gaming and Leisure Properties/Penn Entertainment | 777 Margaritaville Way, Bossier City, LA 71111 | 318-698-7177 |
| Louisiana Downs Casino & Racetrack | No | Yes | Commercial racino | Rubico Acquisition Corp. | 8000 E. Texas Street, Bossier City, LA 71111 | 318-742-5555 |
| Golden Nugget Lake Charles Hotel & Casino | Yes | Yes | Commercial casino | Landry’s Inc. | 2550 Golden Nugget Boulevard, Lake Charles, LA 70601 | 337-508-7777 |
| L'Auberge Casino Resort Lake Charles | Yes | Yes | Commercial casino | Gaming and Leisure Properties/Penn Entertainment | 777 Ave L'Auberge, Lake Charles, LA 70601 | 866-355-7111 |
| Horseshoe Casino & Hotel Lake Charles | Yes | Yes | Commercial casino | Caesars Entertainment | 100 Westlake Avenue, Westlake, LA 70669 | 337-430-2300 |
Other forms of gambling available in Texas
There are other ways to gamble legally in Texas. Fully legal forms of Texas gambling include the following:
Note that there are also a large number of Texas card rooms operating in several areas of the state. The legality of these private clubs has been challenged, and a definitive ruling on their legal status could happen sooner rather than later.
Meanwhile, Texas sports betting is unambiguously illegal at the moment, although lawmakers continue to discuss the possibility of changing that.
Responsible gambling in Texas
Legal gambling can be fun and entertaining, but it is always important to be responsible when you gamble. Practice moderation, never gamble with money you cannot afford to lose, and if ever you feel that gambling is becoming a problem, don’t hesitate to reach out for help.
In Texas, there are many resources for learning more about responsible gambling and getting help and treatment for problem gambling. Check out our Responsible Gambling in Texas page, where we provide a list of resources with phone numbers and links.
The future of Texas online casinos
No one expects to see Texas online casinos for real money become legal and available anytime soon. Gambling expansion may be coming to the Lone Star State, but Texas will not join other states that have legalized online casinos in the near future. Meanwhile, those in Texas wanting to play casino games legally can do so at the many social and sweepstakes casinos currently available.