Texas Posted a Huge Amount of Illegal Sports Betting Attempts this Fall

Peter Lewisby Peter Lewis
Updated: November 10, 2023
Texas Posted a Huge Amount of Illegal Sports Bets Attempts this Fall

When it comes to Texas sports betting news, we all know that things have been quite high in recent years. With the pro and college teams being so successful, it’s only going to add to the intrigue for sports fans to try and make some money off their favorite players and teams. However, who knew that Texas authorities were dealing with so many issues? According to a report, Texas posted a huge amount of illegal sports betting attempts this fall.

In data released by the Texas Sports Betting Alliance, a total of 1.14 million attempts were posted between Sept. 1 and Oct. 23. Thankfully, each and every one of these attempts was blocked, preventing users from either getting their bets in via a VPN or an offshore account. Nevertheless, this is a major concern for the state moving forward and it’s something that lawmakers are definitely going to keep in mind as they get ready for their next legal sports betting push.

As things stand, legislators won’t be meeting until 2025 at the earliest to discuss legal betting in the Lone Star State. That’s right, there will be no changes to the law in 2024, which means that illegal bets are going to keep on coming on for at least one more full year. However, it’s good to know that certain processes are in place to make sure the majority of things are stopped. More than one million illegal attempts are nothing to sneeze at.

It’s not a surprise at all that September and October saw so many tries, as it marked the start of the NFL season and the MLB playoffs were underway. MLB betting in Texas was obviously a major topic of conversation, especially with both the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers going on deep playoff runs. In the end, the Rangers ended up winning the first World Series title in their history.

Rangers vs. Astros illegal bets saw a massive spike

It’s easy to see why the Rangers vs. Astros illegal bets saw a massive spike. The two Texas teams faced off in the ALCS, with a trip to the World Series on the line. From the moment Game 1 arrived, people were checking the best-rated sportsbooks, including the reliable Bovada review, to see which side would have the better odds. From the start, Houston was considered the favorite and Astros fans were dreaming of a return trip to the Fall Classic.

According to the data released by the Texas Sports Betting Alliance, there were 8,100 tries alone leading up to Game 6 of that series. Then before Game 7 got underway, around 8,000 more attempts came in. That’s a high number for just two games, but everyone in the state was following this series closely. The Rangers winning the ALCS and then going on to win the World Series was a big-time surprise.

If anything, though, this also tells us that the MLB betting market in Texas will be through the roof once things end up getting launched. It’s looking like there’s a good chance that 2025 could be the year when things are legalized. The good news here is that both the Rangers and Astros have a ton of young talent. Both of these squads are expected to keep on pushing for titles in a couple of years too.

While football may be king in Texas in terms of the top sports, we’ve seen just how popular baseball is for the local citizens. In the past two years, the World Series winners have both been local teams: the Astros and the Rangers. This has folks jacked up for the future. It’s important to remember the future very well could include legal sports betting for people to take advantage of as well.

Illegal NFL attempts were also high in September and October

To no surprise, we should note that illegal NFL attempts were also high in September and October. The Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans are two teams with an incredible amount of young talent. Starting with the Texans, people in Houston and surrounding areas have been paying close attention to first-round pick CJ Stroud. The quarterback is coming off a monster game over the weekend in which he powered Houston to a heartstopping win over Tampa Bay.

Meanwhile with Dallas, this team is led on offense by Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, while Micah Parsons is the anchor for the defense. Despite the Cowboys suffering a 28-23 loss to the Eagles in Week 9, people in Arlington still think the NFC East side has what it takes to get back to the Super Bowl.

Once legal activity is allowed in Texas, there’s no doubt in our minds that NFL betting on the Cowboys and Texans will reach incredible levels. Prescott and Stroud are going to be the QBs for those squads for the long haul and the future looks bright for them. Come 2025, people would love nothing more than to be able to watch an NFL game and bet on it too. Only time will tell if that happens or not.

Peter Lewis

Peter Lewis Jr. comes from Mississippi where he and his family spend their days discussing college football, baseball and basketball. He's written sports journalism for years after studying journalism at a local university. Over time, Peter has cultivated extensive knowledge covering sports betting legislation across the country. He closely tracks the latest regulatory developments and provides key insights into their impacts. Peter also offers sharp MLB betting analysis, leveraging stats and trends to identify value on matchups.

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