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In what world will legal Texas sports betting ever become a thing? It all starts with having lawmakers on the right side of the issue. Right now, that’s the furthest thing.
The reason why Texas is one of 11 states without a legal sports betting market right now is that in-state lawmakers are vehemently opposed to it. State sports owners, including Jerry Jones and Miriam Adelson (a massive donor to the Trump administration, by the way) have supported it, but that’s meant nothing so far.
The number one enemy of legal betting — not just sports, but also casino (which is what Adelson is lobbying for) — is Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick. He’s second in command to the actual governor and leads the Senate. Patrick has constantly attacked sports betting, both verbally and in the office.
In 2023, for the first time, the House actually passed a sports betting bill. But once it got to the Senate, where Patrick has powr over, it was quickly killed off. That’s the closest Texas has gotten to allowing top sports betting apps to enter its state.
And honestly? It likely won’t get any closer, especially when you look at the candidates for attorney general — the position tasked with enforcing state laws. The primary vote for the position is in March 2026, so it’s campaign season. In doing so, all the likely AG candidates have come out as anti-betting, as we cover in the next section.
Meet The Candidates
Currently, there are four Republican candidates for the position. There are two Democrats also running, but we’re not including them because, let’s be honest, they have almost zero shot of winning in a deeply red state like Texas.
Sorry in advance to the Texas bettors because none of the Republican candidates are in favor of betting. Here’s a look at each candidate and what they’re saying about betting;
Aaron Reitz
We begin with Reitz, who has ties with the current U.S. Department of Justice Attorney General Pam Bondi. Reitz most recently served as an appointed assistant attorney general for the Office of Legal Policy, which is overseen by Bondi. So he has recent experience at the highest level (just don’t ask him about the Epstein files, wink, wink). Before this career, he also served in the Marine Corps.
In regards to betting, he’s said this on record: “As the next Attorney General, my responsibility will be to use every lawful tool available — including the issuance of legal opinions, cooperation with local and federal authorities when formally requested, and enforcement of consumer protection and charitable trust laws — to ensure that Texas gambling laws are upheld.”
Joan Huffman
Then there’s Huffman, a current state senator. She also chairs the Senate Finance Committee. Other committees she’s been a part of include State Affairs, Jurisprudence, and Redistricting. The Senate — not the House — is where opposition to gambling is the strongest in Texas, so no surprise how she feels about the issue:
“As a State Senator, I have opposed any efforts to expand gambling in Texas. Serving as Attorney General, I will stay dedicated to enforcing our existing state laws and shielding communities from illegal gambling operations through vigorous prosecutions.”
Chip Roy
Roy is more of a longshot candidate. He is the current representative for Texas’s 21st Congressional District and serves as policy director of the House Freedom Caucus. But… he is a former assistant U.S. attorney and first assistant attorney general of Texas. So the gig isn’t that far away from his orbit.
“I oppose online gambling and other forms of gambling in Texas. I will pursue all litigation to enforce the law, and use the power of AG opinions to ensure the law is clear, and [I] advocated that position … as First Assistant AG.”
Mayes Middleton
Finally, we have Middleton, who is the current president of Middleton Oil Co. and also serves in the Senate. He’s also falling in line on the issue of betting:
“Our laws and Constitution are not suggestions. As attorney general, I will pursue litigation against any company, politician, or rogue George Soros DA that attempts to treat them as such with civil penalties, criminal penalties, or removal from office.”
Got to love the random Soros inflation, huh? A Republican staple. Anyways, he went on to say:
“I have a consistent and clear record of holding unlawful gambling operations accountable, as well as those attempting to illegally expand gambling. I will continue to enforce and defend our laws to the fullest extent as the next attorney general.”
Glimmer of Hope?
Honestly, all these candidates are “playing it safe” right now. We wouldn’t overindex on their gambling opinions at this stage of the election process — five months before the primary and a year before the actual election in the midterms.
Why? Because coming out as pro pro-betting just is something that’ll do more harm than good. These candidates are playing to win, and there’s no need to take a side on a polarizing issue that, if we’re being honest, voters don’t care that much about. There’s just more downside than upside to coming out in favor of betting when it’s illegal.
So yes, we’d love for a candidate to be more favorable toward betting, but it’s also not a death sentence. Texas betting chances are still low, yes, but far from zero as these comments suggest.
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