Texas · Sports betting
Is sports betting legal in Texas?
Where sportsbooks stand in Texas, where Kalshi, Polymarket and other prediction markets stand, and why the answers differ. Built from our sourced state records.
The short answer
No. Sportsbooks are not legal in Texas, online or in person.1
Prediction markets are a separate question: we found no court order or regulator action stopping Kalshi from offering sports contracts in Texas, as of Oct. 22, 2026.
Sportsbooks in Texas
Sports betting in Texas is not legal.1
March 18, 2025. In 2025 Sen. Carol Alvarado filed SJR 16, which would have authorized sports wagering and casino gambling and created a Texas Gaming Commission. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who leads the Senate, strongly opposes legal sports betting, and the proposal did not pass.2
Prediction markets in Texas
Our status for Texas: No public action found. We found no public enforcement, litigation or enacted law. Pending bills may still be listed on the state's page. Texas has not acted against prediction markets but held a Senate hearing in September 2026 ahead of possible 2027 legislation.
Latest action (Other development, Sept. 15, 2026): The Senate State Affairs Committee held an interim hearing on its 'Closing Gambling Loopholes' charge, which covers prediction markets; witnesses included the American Gaming Association, Kalshi and Texas Values. No vote was reported.3
We track no lawsuits involving Texas. Federal appeals from Texas go to the Fifth Circuit, which has not yet been asked to decide the question. Full record: prediction market laws in Texas.
Which prediction market apps work in Texas
| Platform | In Texas | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Kalshi | No restriction found | |
| Polymarket US | No restriction found | |
| Coinbase | No restriction found | Contracts trade on Kalshi. |
| Crypto.com | No restriction found | Contracts trade on Crypto.com | Derivatives North America (North American Derivatives Exchange, Inc.), an affiliated CFTC-registered exchange and clearinghouse; Crypto.com's 2026-09-08 release places this entity under the OG.com spin-off. |
| DraftKings Predictions | Offered | |
| Fanatics Markets | Offered | Contracts trade on Crypto.com | Derivatives North America (Nadex rules). |
| FanDuel Predicts | Offered | Contracts trade on CME Group (financial contracts) and Crypto.com | Derivatives North America / OG (sports, entertainment and combination contracts). |
| Gemini Predictions | No restriction found | |
| PrizePicks | Offered | Contracts trade on Kalshi. |
| Robinhood | No restriction found | Contracts trade on KalshiEX, ForecastEx and Rothera Exchange and Clearing (a Robinhood joint venture with SIG); since 2026-09-08 also OG.com's North American Derivatives Exchange, Inc.. |
| Underdog | Offered | Contracts trade on Underdog's own exchange UDX (Aristotle Exchange DCM/DCO, Inc. d/b/a Underdog Exchange), plus Kalshi and Nadex (Crypto.com | Derivatives North America). |
| Webull | No restriction found | Contracts trade on Kalshi. |
“No restriction found” means we know of no court order, regulator action or platform notice stopping it in Texas; it is not a finding that it is legal there.
Why the answers differ
A sportsbook takes the other side of each bet and keeps what bettors lose.4 It needs a license from the state. A prediction market is an exchange that matches users with each other and takes a fee,4 and the large ones are regulated by the CFTC, whose jurisdiction over trading on those exchanges federal law calls exclusive.5 That is the platforms’ case for offering sports contracts nationwide; by the 2025 Super Bowl, Kalshi offered them in all 50 states, including states without legal sports betting.6
States answer that sports event contracts are sports bets by another name; Massachusetts, for one, says Kalshi’s closely resemble wagers at licensed sportsbooks.7 Federal appeals courts have split, 1 for the platforms and 2 for the states, and 3 petitions now ask the Supreme Court to decide: see the circuit split.
Age limits
Kalshi and Polymarket US accept customers from 18,89 while most states set the gambling age at 20 or 21, a gap critics including the NCAA have raised.10 See how old you have to be. If gambling is causing you harm, call or text 1-800-GAMBLER.
Questions
- Is sports betting legal in Texas?
- No. Sportsbooks are not legal in Texas, online or in person.
- Can you bet on sports online in Texas?
- Not with a state-licensed sportsbook. Prediction markets are a separate question: we found no court order or regulator action stopping Kalshi from offering sports contracts in Texas, as of Oct. 22, 2026.
- Is Kalshi legal in Texas?
- We found no court order or regulator action stopping Kalshi from serving Texas, as of Oct. 22, 2026. Texas's status on prediction markets: no public action found. Details are on our Kalshi in Texas page.
- Is Polymarket legal in Texas?
- We found no court order or regulator action stopping Polymarket from serving Texas, as of Oct. 28, 2026. Texas's status on prediction markets: no public action found. Details are on our Polymarket in Texas page.
- What is the difference between a sportsbook and a prediction market?
- A sportsbook takes the other side of each bet and keeps what bettors lose, under a state license. A prediction market is a federally regulated exchange that matches users with each other and charges a fee, which is why platforms argue state gambling law does not reach them.
Sources
- Texas sports betting status
- The Texas Newsroom / KUT (March 18, 2025)
- Texas Senate Committee on State Affairs hearing notice
- The New York Times (republished by West Hawaii Today, Oct. 6, 2025)
- 7 U.S.C. 2 (CEA section 2), Office of the Law Revision Counsel
- Axios (Jan. 31, 2025)
- Massachusetts Attorney General's Office (Sept. 12, 2025)
- Kalshi Help Center, Signing Up as an Individual
- Polymarket US terms of service
- Legal Sports Report (Mar. 19, 2026)