The 1987 Tribes of Texas Restoration Act restored the federal trust status of the Tigua and Alabama-Coushatta tribes. Even tribal casinos are not safe, as two of the tribal operators have been fighting to remain open. There have been attempts to legalize sports betting, but as they were filed too late, the process is suspended until 2023.

However, the current situation is somewhat more complex. “Bet” means an agreement to win or lose something of value solely or partially by chance. However, you are allowed to gamble on private property if you bet on equal terms, and the only profit is personal winnings. That means you won’t find any land-based Texas casinos outside tribal reserves, and online gambling is completely prohibited.

It is essentially a total ban on all forms of gambling, with a few exceptions that we will cover later.

Gambling is covered by the Texas Penal Code PEN 47.01 and the Texas Revised Civil Statuses CIV STAT 179e et. Texas Gambling Laws – Legal Gambling in the Stateĭespite its deep history with gambling, Texas banned all forms of it in the early 20th c., and the Texas gambling laws have remained strict ever since.