Texas Bettors Win Big — Just Not In Their Own State

If you’re in Texas, and you have an itch to bet, well you can still scratch the itch. You’ll just have to get creative about it — and as you’re about to find out, perhaps lucky too.

Texas still has casino betting prohibited. But regardless, there are some nearby casinos that locals can flock too. Eagle Pass — 140 miles southwest of San Antonio — has gambling establishments. Oklahoma also has it fair share of tribal casinos, which are accessible to Dallas residents.

Heck, offshore sportsbook sites service many of these hungry Texas bettors. Not only do these platforms have sportsbooks, but full-scale casinos too. Virtual slots, video poker, and table games can all be played from these sites — whether that’s on a computer or phone.

But… many Texas bettors still prefer the thrill of the “real thing.” By that, we mean gambling in Las Vegas — not second-rate options in Oklahoma. After hearing these two stories, we have a feeling more Texans will be looking to do Nevada betting very soon.

Texas Local Hits It Big In Las Vegas

This is a made-for-the-movies story right here. A Texas woman was in Sin City for a wedding. She was staying at the Palms Casino Resort in Vegas and was in a group of 30 to 40 people for the wedding.

One night, the group got hungry. So they went to the Palms’ food court and ordered a bite from good ‘ol McDonalds. While waiting for a tasty burger and fries, this woman wanted to get rid of her leftover vouchers in the amount of $2 and 98 cents, plus a few more bucks in her pocket.

She sat down at the Wheel of Fortune machine. Down to her last bet, she decided to make one final max $3 bet on the machine. Of course, jackpot. The machine started going off, her crowd of friends got riled up, and this woman just became $2,170,581.77 richer. The win came when the woman had all of 46 cents left on the machine.

But here’s perhaps the best part? The woman wasn’t going to go to Vegas in the first place. A little tight on cash, her friend picked up the ticket as a favor. We feel that friend HAS to get some of the winnings, right? If the winner is a true friend, she would — but hey, maybe that’s just us.

The only other thing we know about the grand prize winner is she is a bartender. But after this jackpot, we have a feeling she’ll soon be a former bartender.

Facebook Post Gets The Word Out

This soon-to-be ex-bartender didn’t release her name, but her image was shared by the Palms social media account in the tail end of the summer. The Facebook post went viral.

“OMG! A classic Club Serrano member just struck gold with a $3 bet and won a dazzling $2 million. SLAY,” the casino posted after the big win.

“Wowza….dream hit. Congratulations!” one person commented on Facebook.

On top of becoming $2 million richer, the winner and her boyfriend were upgraded to a penthouse at the Palms immediately. Security also was provided 24/7 until she returned home.

The good thing for her is Texas has no state income tax — nor does the state of Nevada. So yes, she’ll pay a hefty federal tax on the winnings. But regardless, she’ll still keep well over $1 million of it. Good for her, eh?

Another Texas Gambler Also Recently Cashed-In

She was not the first Texas local to hit a jackpot this summer in Las Vegas. Another gambler from the state was at Treasure Island on July 16 when they wagered $3 on the Monte Carlo Spin and Win slot machine. Boom, another jackpot hit, and $122,720 collected.

The takeaway here? Head to Las Vegas, find a machine, and throw $3 bets into it. That seems to be the lucky number if you’re from Texas…

Still Zero Momentum To Legalize Texas Betting

We get it, a trip to Vegas isn’t cheap, especially if you want to stay on The Strip. So when can Texans expect to have similar experiences in their own state? We wouldn’t bank on it anytime soon.

Betting in Texas just feels like a pipe dream despite some big movers and shakers trying to buy their way into it. We’re looking at you, Miriam Sheldon — the new Dallas Mavericks owner. Sheldon bought the team from Mark Cuban with the hope of building a new casino to coincide with the team’s new arena.

Sheldon has thrown money to the heavens to make it happen. First, she and her company, The Sands, scooped up 108 acres in Irving, Texas. Next, Sheldon donated massively to local politicians. Records show she donated over $4 million to support Texas lawmakers like state reps Dade Phelan and John Kuempel. Another $1 million was also given to current Gov. Greg Abbott’s reelection campaign in 2022.

Despite this, Texas doesn’t appear any closer to legalizing. We’ll know for sure during the next legislative year in 2025. But in our opinion, hitting a jackpot inside of actual Texas will have to wait much longer than that.