Online casinos in Texas: is it legal?

Expanded gaming in Texas requires a CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. Texas Constitution Art. III, Sec. 47(a) provides that the Legislature shall pass laws prohibiting lotteries and gift enterprises in this State other than those authorized by Subsections (b), (d), (d-1) and (e) — charitable bingo, charitable raffles, professional-sports-team charitable raffles, financial-institution prize-linked savings and the state lottery. That is why every vehicle is an HJR or SJR, needing two-thirds of each chamber plus voter approval. Texas meets in odd years only: the most recent regular session was the 89th Regular (2025) and there is no 2026 regular session. Two 2025 called sessions were held and the Texas Legislature Online 'Bills By Subject / GAMBLING' report returns 'There are no bills on this subject for this legislative session' for both. IMPORTANT SCOPE CAVEAT: none of the five joint resolutions below specifies the medium — they are medium-neutral grants of authority to the legislature — and no enabling HB or SB implementing sports wagering was filed in 89R (the GAMBLING subject report lists 19 bills, none of them an enabling bill). They are recorded here because they are the only route by which Texas could open, not because they authorize online wagering on their face. On online casino specifically, Texas is moving the other way: SJR 16 expressly EXCLUDES internet gaming from its definition of 'casino gaming', carving out placing, receiving or knowingly transmitting a wager by a means requiring the use of the Internet, except for on-site casino devices that use Internet or networking functionality. No Texas bill proposes online casino / iGaming. TLO records no 'died' or 'left pending' entry for any of these; the committee referral is literally the last action shown.

What the legislature is doing

Bills that would change what is legal online in Texas — loosening or tightening — with the status each legislature publishes. A bill that died still tells you something about the direction of travel.