Ready to Bet on Sports in Texas? 2025 Might Just Be Your Year! 🎲🤠
Texas Proposes Two Sports Betting Legislation Bills: Anticipating a Legalization in 2025?
In true Lone Star State fashion, gamblers may soon have a new opportunity to strike it rich - Texas sports betting could finally be legalized! Here's the latest lowdown on what's happening with betting in Texas.
The Great Gambling Gamble 🎲
This year, Texas lawmakers are all in on a game-changing proposition - legalizing sports betting within the state! State Representative Sam Harless (R-Spring) has stepped up to the plate with House Joint Resolution 134, proposing a constitutional amendment that Texans could potentially vote on in November.
Should this amendment pass, it would allow for legal sports betting through specific entities such as:
- Professional sports teams existing as of January 1, 2025
- Professional golf organizations that held tour events in Texas prior to that date
- Class 1 racetracks operating as of that date
But that's not all - House Joint Resolution 137 has also been filed, aiming to greenlight both casino gambling and sports betting! This proposal intends to limit casino gambling to physical locations with a cap of 10 licenses, and requires the state to negotiate gaming compacts with three federally recognized Indian tribes to allow Class III gaming on tribal lands.
Will the Gov Support a Texas Hold'em Hand? 🕺
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has recently shown some surprising poker face - he's admitted to being surprisingly fine with the idea of legalizing sports betting in Texas! While such openness is quite the deviation from his earlier reluctance, it could indicate a shift in political winds. Yet, similar proposals have run into snags in the Texas Senate, with Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick reportedly throwing a few curveballs, often blocking gambling-related bills.
In 2023, the Texas House passed a bill that would have allowed an amendment to the Texas Constitution to permit regulated gambling, but the bill ultimately fell flat in the Senate. If the current proposals make it through the legislature, voters might get the chance to decide on legalizing sports betting in November 2025.
When Can I Put My Money on Sports in Texas? 📅
Given the Texas Legislature's meeting schedule, the earliest legal Texas sports betting could materialize would be in 2027. Whether these proposals survive the complex intricacies of Texas politics and win the favor of Texans remains to be seen. If successful, Texas could join a growing list of states turning the longshot into a payday with sports betting.
All Bets Are Off: A Cautionary Tale 🚫
Before you start drafting your winning strategies, remember that as of 2025, all forms of sports betting, including online and mobile wagering, remain illegal in Texas. The only legal form of betting in Texas is on horse and greyhound racing at licensed tracks.
Keep an eye on developments in Texas politics, and fingers crossed that Texans may soon get a chance to roll the dice on their favorite sports!
Sources:
- Texas Legislative Update: Sports Betting 2025
- Gambling in Texas: A Political Gamble?
- Texas Sports Betting: Inside the Game
Authors:
- Michael Molter
Tags:
- Dan Patrick
- Greg Abbott
- Sam Harless
- Texas
- TX HJR 134
- TX HJR 137
- Texas lawmakers are proposing to legalize sports betting within the state, with Representative Sam Harless introducing House Joint Resolution 134.
- If House Joint Resolution 134 passes, it will allow for legal sports betting through specific entities such as professional sports teams, professional golf organizations, and Class 1 racetracks.
- House Joint Resolution 137 has also been filed, aiming to legalize casino gambling and sports betting, with a limit of 10 licenses for casino gambling and gaming compacts with three federally recognized Indian tribes.
- Despite Governor Greg Abbott's openness to the idea, previous proposals have faced challenges in the Texas Senate, and the earliest legal Texas sports betting could materialize would be in 2027.
