Texas Online Gambling
Texas is one of the most restrictive online gambling environments in the United States, but some legal alternatives and unregulated options are available to residents.
Continue below for a comprehensive overview of the Texas online gambling landscape. This page discusses legal alternatives to online casinos in Texas, the status of daily fantasy sports, and key consumer resources.
Legal Texas Gambling Sites
21+ and present in TX. T&Cs Apply. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-522-4700.
Texas Online Gambling Overview
| Type of Gambling (Minimum age to play) | Legal Status | Notes |
| Online Casinos (n/a) | Illegal | Prohibited under Texas law |
| Sweepstakes Casinos (18+) | Legal/Unregulated | Technically legal; widely accessible |
| Online Sports Betting (n/a) | Illegal | Recent legalization attempts unsuccessful |
| Daily Fantasy Sports (18+) | Legal/Unregulated | Operates in a legal gray area; major operators accept TX customers |
| Fantasy Pick’em Contests (18+) | Legal/Unregulated | Similar legality as traditional DFS |
| Online Lottery Sales (n/a) | Illegal | Texas Lottery does not offer online sales; third-party couriers banned |
| Online Horse Racing (n/a) | Illegal | Prohibited under Texas Racing Act |
Texas Online Casinos
Online casinos are illegal in Texas.
The state constitution and Chapter 47 of the Texas Penal Code create a hostile legal environment for real-money online casino platforms. These laws define gambling broadly enough to cover all forms of online casino games.
Why Online Casinos Remain Illegal in Texas
Texas law defines “gambling” as making a bet on an event where the outcome is determined partially or wholly by chance. This definition covers traditional casino games like slots, roulette, and blackjack, making their online counterparts illegal.
Additionally, The Texas Constitution requires the legislature to pass laws prohibiting “lotteries and gift enterprises,” reinforcing the state’s anti-gambling stance.
Unlike states that have legalized online casinos, Texas has no tribal gaming compacts and lacks an established land-based gambling industry that could serve as a framework for online expansion.
Furthermore, any effort to legalize casino gambling would require a constitutional amendment, which must be approved by a two-thirds vote in both legislative chambers before being put to a public referendum. This presents a very high barrier to entry for any potential legalization efforts.
Legalization Efforts
There have been no significant legislative pushes to legalize real-money online casinos in Texas. The political focus has been primarily on sports betting, which itself faces an uphill battle. Given the state’s conservative political climate and the high legal threshold for change, the legalization of online casinos is not anticipated in the near future.
Sweepstakes Casinos as a Legal Alternative
Sweepstakes gambling apps provide a legal alternative to real money online casinos in Texas.
Prominent brands like High 5 Casino and WOW Vegas leverage sweepstakes laws to operate legally in Texas and avoid classification as gambling.
Instead of requiring players to wager real money directly, Texas sweepstakes casinos use two types of virtual currency:
- Gold Coins (GC): Used for play-money gaming and have no monetary value.
- Sweeps Coins (SC): Can be obtained for free through promotions, mail-in offers, or as a bonus when purchasing Gold Coins. These coins can be used in promotional games and redeemed for real cash prizes.
This “no purchase necessary” model is the key to their legal status in Texas. Sweepstakes casinos avoid classification as gambling because players can participate and win without paying. Under Texas law, the legal definition of “gambling” requires consideration (paying to play).
Legal sweepstakes gambling sites in Texas offer a full range of casino-style games, including:
Although sweepstakes casinos are technically legal, they operate in a legal gray area and could face future scrutiny from Texas gambling regulators or the legislature.
Texas Online Sports Betting
Online sports betting is illegal in Texas.
Past efforts to legalize online sportsbooks in Texas have failed despite significant lobbying from professional sports franchises and major sports betting platforms like FanDuel and DraftKings.
The most recent push in 2023 saw HB 1942 and HB 2843 advance far in the legislative process before stalling due to constitutional hurdles, opposition from conservative lawmakers, and a lack of support in the Senate.
Because the Texas Legislature only convenes in odd-numbered years, the next opportunity to consider legalization will be in 2027. Legalizing online sports betting in Texas will remain an uphill battle because it will require a constitutional amendment.
Texas Daily Fantasy Sports
Daily fantasy sports apps operate in a legal gray area in Texas.
In 2016, then-Attorney General Ken Paxton issued an opinion stating that traditional DFS contests likely constitute illegal gambling under state law.
However, the opinion was nonbinding, so major operators like DraftKings and FanDuel have continued to offer their salary-cap style DFS contests in Texas without facing legal enforcement.
Since then, Texas has not passed any specific laws to either authorize or prohibit DFS, leaving the industry in a state of unregulated uncertainty.
Fantasy Pick’em Apps in Texas
Pick’em-style apps like PrizePicks and ParlayPlay are viable alternatives to online sports betting in Texas.
In the absence of legal sportsbook apps in Texas, fans can use major fantasy pick’em apps to make predictions on individual athletes’ stat totals (e.g., whether a player will score over or under a projected total number of touchdowns) for real money payouts.
Like traditional DFS apps, fantasy pick’em platforms operate under the assumption that their games are contests of skill and operate without explicit state permission or regulatory oversight.
However, their resemblance to sports betting has led to increased scrutiny (and even cease-and-desist orders) in some states. Texas could follow suit if regulators decide to reevaluate the legality of fantasy pick’em apps.
Texas Online Lottery Sales
The Texas Lottery does not offer online ticket sales, and third-party courier services are also prohibited. Players may only buy official Texas Lottery tickets in person from an authorized retailer.
In early 2025, the Texas Lottery Commission took action against lottery courier apps that had been operating in the state, leading to their withdrawal. As a result, there is currently no legal way to buy Texas Lottery tickets online.
Despite a growing national trend of state lotteries embracing online sales, Texas has shown no signs introducing a method for players to buy lottery tickets online.
Read more:
Online Horse Racing Betting in Texas
Online horse racing betting is illegal in Texas.
The Texas Legislature explicitly banned advance deposit wagering platforms (ADWs) in 2011 via HB 2771. The bill amended the Texas Racing Act to state:
“A person may not accept, in person, by telephone, or over the Internet, a wager for a horse or greyhound race conducted inside or outside this state from a person in this state unless the wager is authorized under this subtitle.”
All major ADW platforms permanently exited the Texas market after unsuccessful legal challenges.
Operators such as TwinSpires, AmWager, and FanDuel Racing remain barred from serving Texas residents, and the Texas Racing Commission actively enforces this ban.
Texas Gambling Regulators
Texas has limited gambling regulation due to the prohibition of most forms of gambling.
- Texas Racing Commission: Oversees all pari-mutuel wagering activities at live horse and greyhound racetracks in the state.
- Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation: Regulates the state lottery, oversees lottery drawings, and licenses lottery retailers. Legislation approved in 2025 abolished the Texas Lottery Commission and transferred oversight duties to the Department of Licensing and Regulation.
- Office of the Attorney General: Issues legal opinions and enforces state gambling laws.
Responsible Gambling Resources in Texas
Texas provides several resources for individuals seeking help with problem gambling, though it lacks a centralized, statewide self-exclusion list that covers all forms of gambling.
Texas Self-Exclusion Resources
- Individual platforms (DFS apps and sweepstakes casinos) offer operator-specific self-exclusion options.
Texas Responsible Gambling Organizations
- Texas Coalition on Problem Gambling (TXCPG): 713-364-4557
- National Problem Gambling Helpline: Call 1-800-GAMBLER