Do Texans Really Want Sports Betting?

Texas sports betting is still off limits. Well, at least sports betting apps are. The state has prediction markets, but technically, those are event contracts — not sports betting (but that’s an entirely different issue).

The Lone Star State is one of only 11 states in the United States without a legal sports betting market. Its government officials continuously press against the issue, saying it’s not good for the state and its residents.

We mean, here’s the latest quote from Texas governor Greg Abbott: “We’ve seen increasingly problems that go along with gaming. Whether it be addiction or whether it be things that are happening in sporting events and athletes who are on the take. And so, there have been more red flags raised. That caused us to have to pause, step back, take a look at this and make sure that we wouldn’t do anything that would be harmful, either to the people of the state of Texas, the culture that we have in the state, or to sporting events that we have in the state.”

Does the governor have a point? Well, he might if a new nationwide poll is to be believed. Keep on reading, and we’ll tell you all about the shocking findings.

New Poll Finds Growing Negative Sentiment Toward Sports Betting

Sports betting has absolutely blown up since the Supreme Court lifted a federal ban in 2018. The signs are everywhere. Record revenues on betting in several states. Teams, leagues, and media personalities all being paid handsomely to promote these apps. And yes, commercials are flooding every sports event you try to watch.

But… for the first time, Americans might actually be souring on the new-ish industry. That’s what a brand-new poll from the Washington Post and University of Maryland found, at least.

They surveyed 1,032 adults in early December. About one-third of them said they are worried about a growing number of states allowing sports betting — now at 39 (40 if you count Washington DC). This is up from about 25 percent in 2022.

Here’s a summary of the results:

• 36% say more states allowing sports betting is a bad thing, up from 23% in 2022
• 14% view the expansion as a good thing
• 49% say it is neither good nor bad
• 70% worry increased availability will lead to more gambling addiction
• 66% are concerned about rigged or fixed games
• 64% are concerned about children gambling
• 56% say they are confident gambling does not influence outcomes in professional sports
• 46% of regular sports viewers say betting discussion makes no difference
• 19% say it makes sports more interesting
• 20% say it makes sports less interesting
• 41% think straight wagers should be allowed
• 23% support prop bets, while 27% percent oppose them

Addiction, Integrity Are Biggest Issues

Sports betting is losing favor, but why? It’s not because bettors are losing money, though, that’s definitely happening cause this is wildly profitable to sportsbooks and states. No, the biggest cause of concern in the poll was gambling addiction and integrity.

According to the poll, seven in 10 worry that easier access to sports betting will lead to more gambling addiction. That number hasn’t really budged since 2022, despite the industry spending hundreds of millions on “responsible gambling” messaging and states rolling out integrity monitoring programs. In other words, the public isn’t convinced the guardrails are working. And from the outside looking in, it’s not hard to see why. As we said, betting ads are literally everywhere, free-play promos are aggressive, and apps are built to keep people engaged for as long as possible.

Right behind addiction is integrity. Two-thirds of those polled were concerned about rigged or fixed games and underage gambling. That context matters, especially as betting scandals involving players, coaches, and insiders have become more common headlines.

The fact that this poll happened in December and the biggest gambling scandal yet broke in October is likely no coincidence. Of course, we’re talking about the accusations against an NBA coach (Chauncey Billups) and a player (Terry Rozier). Both are accused of telling bettors of plans to sit specific players or fake an injury, all inside information and/or straight rigging.

If you read the quote from Abbott, integrity was a central concern of his too. You have to believe the NBA scandal was weighing on him too, since his comments are recent, not far removed from the Billups-Rozier news.

Texas Poll Results Are Dated

That’s a great national poll, but what do Texans themselves believe? We have a separate poll for that, conducted a year ago by The University of Houston’s Hobby School of Public Affairs. They found that 60 percent of Texans support online sports betting, while 56 are for in-person sportsbooks at Texas stadiums.

But things change fast. Who’s to say a poll down now wouldn’t have worse results, especially given recent news? It’s plausible, and in fact, we’d bet on it having an impact. How much so is the big question here.

A brand new survey in 2026 would go a long way in level-setting how Texans really feel about the issue — not just for us, but the lawmakers like Abbott who will decide to legalize this thing or not.