Chris Boline
Unfortunately for people who love sports betting in Texas, it’s up in the air when things will change. With that, though, we continue to see people running illegal operations. It’s not just for sports, though, as people also run underground casinos too that are never regulated. People face consequences for that, though, which includes a Texas man busted for running illegal gambling ring.
According to the Caller Times, Nathan Nichols admitted to authorities that he had been running his illegal ring in Corpus Christi from 2018 to 2019. Despite only being in business for a little over a year, Nichols brought in a huge amount of money, which of course is a major concern. You already know he’s not the only one who was doing this in Texas.
After a long investigation, officials received a warrant to search Nichols’ home back in 2021, according to the Caller Times. With that search, they were able to find a damning amount of evidence, which led to charges being filed. Not only was Nichols running his gambling ring, but it was discovered that he had also stolen military equipment and was selling it on the internet. This only makes things worse for him.
Nichols is currently in custody over in Texas and he’s facing between 5-10 years in prison for these crimes. Not only that, but the Caller Times had reported that he’s had to forfeit his house, which was valued at around $2.2 million. He’s facing all of this because of his not-so brilliant decision to run an illegal ring and also steal equipment from the military. Not smart at all.
South Texas man accused of running illegal gambling, stealing military equipment https://t.co/eYtnsi7ZFV
— Corpus Christi Caller-Times (@callerdotcom) March 22, 2022
Illegal sports rings continue to heat up all over Texas
While this news of Nichols’ arrest has made plenty of headlines, it’s important to remember that illegal sports rings continue to heat up all over Texas, especially with so many sports in action. With Opening Day arriving for Major League Baseball on April 7, this means that people are going to keep checking MLB odds with fury and then connect with their bookies for bets.
Obviously, the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros are always going to bring in a large crowd in terms of sports betting. For the Astros, they’ve got strong World Series odds and the belief is that this team will be in the hunt this fall for plenty of glory. They’re no doubt the favorites to win the AL West, which doesn’t come as a shock at all. They’ve owned the division for so long.
While the Mariners have improved, and the Angels and Athletics are always a team to watch, there’s just so much talent on Houston. With Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and others leading the way, people are loving this Houston team more than ever. The loss of Carlos Correa stings a little bit, but not enough for fans to lose hope. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see them start off the year on fire as well.
With that, however, it means that more bets are going to be made. With Texas sports betting not yet being legalized many people go to offshore bookies or partake in the gambling rings like this. It needs to change and it needs to happen sooner than later.
This year, we're aiming for the pinnacle.
We’re ready to #LevelUp. pic.twitter.com/QkiYyRhUBi
— Houston Astros (@astros) March 11, 2022
The wait will continue for Texas sports betting
As we’ve reported multiple times here on MyTopSportsbooks, the wait will continue for Texas sports betting to get going in the Lone Star State. After things almost went through in 2021, there was a flop instead, breaking countless hearts. Now, it’s looking like the earliest things will be able to get done would be 2023.
With that, though, there’s still a strong split between Texas citizens on whether or not sports betting would be a good idea. The sports teams’ owners are all for it, as they’ve seen the positive results of things across the country. People still can’t believe that both Texas and California are behind the times when it comes to making this allowed for its people.
Plenty of sports fans want it too, but the main argument from the opposition has been the concerns over people who could potentially get addicted to gambling. That’s something no one wants to see happen, as it has affected so many people in the USA. It’s really impacted countless people in the world for that matter, which has people holding back on this. Yes, it’s a major concern, but a deal breaker?
With all of that said, that alone can’t prevent Texas from moving forward with this kind of a plan. It’s being implemented all over the place and Texas is losing millions of dollars the more time passes. Plus, with so many illegal rings in place, people can’t continue to get away with this. Nichols got busted, but there’s plenty of others out there still operating. This all has to be regulated soon.
