Texas currently has two bills in committee that if enacted, would bring domestic sports betting to the Lonestar state. HB 1275 & HJR61 are two individual sports betting bills that are currently being debated by the local legislature.
HB1275 is a bill that lays out the regulation of the sports betting industry. This bill requires that sportsbook operators obtain a $250,000 state license and are subject to a background check. A state license renewal fee is $200,000, and operators can be denied renewal for various reasons.
HB1275 also gives the Commission of Licensing and Regulating the authority to oversee the sports betting industry. The commission can also establish a sports betting program or division. The bill goes on to impose a tax of 6.25% on all sports bets, and the permit holder shall collect the tax.
The other sports betting bill HJR61 is an amendment to the Texas Constitution that would also legalize sports betting in the great state of Texas. This bill gives the Texas legislature the right to enact domestic sports betting laws and would allow bets to be placed on professional and college sports. HJR61 will be on the ballot November 5th, 2019 and voters will choose whether or not this amendment becomes law.
Texans have long had the option of betting offshore with sportsbooks that operate legally and serve the US market. Sites like Bovada, MyBookie, and others have been serving Texas sweet betting lines for almost a decade. Offshore sites have several advantages over domestic services that many players use to their advantage, including:
- bonus offers to new players
- Accepts Bitcoin
- Convenience
- Political Betting options
- International sports (FIFA, Olympics, etc.)
- Regional sports betting (Some areas prohibit this)
Despite the online sports betting options Texan bettors have grown accustomed to, domestic sports betting would bring a lot of additional state revenue that can be used by community organizers to benefit the state. We will continue to follow sports betting legalization across the United States but if you are interested you can keep up with Texas and other state-sponsored sports betting bills by using our bill tracker resource tool.
