Texas is one of the largest untapped sports betting markets in the country. One gaming analysis company believes it will remain so for at least another four years.
Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, an advisory firm located in Southern California, recently pushed Texas to its list of states projected to launch sports betting in 2028 or later.
If those projections turn out to be on target, Texans will have to continue to travel out of state to place bets on sports for the foreseeable future.
Texas GOP platform opposes gambling expansion
Efforts to legalize Texas sports betting have had little success since the US Supreme Court opened the door to sports betting throughout the US in 2018.
In 2023, the state made its most significant advancement, as the Texas House passed a sports betting bill. Unfortunately, it died in the Senate, the largest obstacle heading into the 2025 legislative session.
The new projection from Eilers & Krejcik is disappointing. It had projected that Texas would legalize sports betting in 2025. Now, it thinks it probably won’t happen until 2027, with a launch coming a year later. The Texas Legislature meets only every other odd-numbered year. The new projection states,
“In the wake of news that Las Vegas Sands is ramping up political contributions ahead of a 2025 push to legalize casino gambling in Texas, we call attention to our recently amended sports betting legalization timeline for the second largest state. We previously projected that Texas would legalize in November 2025 via ballot measure, and then launch in fall 2026. We’ve now pushed the timeline back a legislative session, with legalization occurring in November 2027, and launch occurring in time for the NFL season opener in fall 2028.”
Another big reason for the lack of movement on sports betting is the political division in Texas. According to the Eilers report, the Texas Senate has a stated goal of obstructing the Texas House’s efforts to legalize online sports betting (OSB).
“While the move might seem counterintuitive – the House passed an OSB bill in 2023, after all – our projection reflects the reality that the Senate is the chamber that matters, and things there are not moving in the right direction. Case in point: the state Republican Party platform, published in June, instructs lawmakers to oppose (1) any gambling expansion, and (2) any budget that relies on funds from expanded gambling. Incredibly, it even explicitly addresses the warmer reception gambling expansion has had in the House – the platform calls on lawmakers to “oppose any effort from the House leadership … to pressure members to vote for expanded gambling.”
The Republican Party platform put forth this year is the most explicitly anti-gambling in the party’s history, but it is not the first. For years, the Texas Republican Party has stated in various ways its disapproval of gambling expansion in the state. What’s new this year is the explicit labeling of the Texas House of Representatives as a conduit for gambling expansion.
Push for casinos could adversely impact sports betting efforts
Sports betting could be hampered by efforts to legalize casinos in Texas. The strongest push will again come from Las Vegas Sands Corp. in 2025. Sands has funneled large amounts of money into Texas politics trying to get destination casino resorts legalized in the Lone Star State.
It took an even larger step when its controlling owner, Miriam Adelson, purchased 73% of the Dallas Mavericks for $3.5 billion at the end of 2023.
Adelson is now pushing for a new Mavs arena connected to a casino resort. Texas billionaire Mark Cuban, who sold the Mavericks’ interest to Adelson, has said he fully supports Adelson’s plans. Cuban continues to control all basketball operations for the team.
Texans do have some sports betting options
Even with a Texas sports betting market still far off, you can still make sports picks through Fliff Sportsbook Texas. The social sportsbook is legal because it operates differently than traditional sports betting. You can play for free or purchase Fliff Coins and redeem them for cash prizes.
For Texans who want to try out Fliff Sportsbook Texas, check out our recent coverage of Fliff picks on the NHL and NBA Playoffs.
