Sports Gambling Legal In Texas

Fantasy Sports and Gaming Law

When Will Sports Gambling Be Legal In Texas
Sports Gambling Legal In Texas
Is Online Sports Gambling Legal In Texas
Is Sports Gambling Illegal In Texas

When Will Sports Gambling Be Legal In Texas

Texas is one of the strictest states when it comes to gambling and its laws can cover a wide variety of activities. Under Texas law, (Penal Code §47.02) gambling is considered a criminal offense if someone: makes a bet on the partial or final result of a game or contest or on the performance of a participant in a game or contest.

At VW, we have substantial knowledge about several different areas of gaming law and significant experience providing Reasoned Legal Opinions on Federal and State law in the fantasy sports industry.

Fantasy Football

Should fantasy sports be legal in Texas? There’s a bill in the Legislature that says playing and profiting from fantasy sports is not the same as illegal gambling. This comes after Texas Attorney.
Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a nonbinding opinion in January 2016 equating fantasy sports sites to online gambling, which is illegal. “House Bill 2303 simply seeks to clarify state law.

To be clear, fantasy football is not “gambling”, it’s a legal game of skill. Check out our two-part series explaining how this works, and then give us a call to chat about it further.

Daily Fantasy Sports

Like season-long leagues, DFS contests are games of skill. This exciting industry is rapidly expanding beyond traditional fantasy sports like football and baseball to motor sports and e-gaming.

Amusement Machines

Though almost every state hinges their amusement machine laws on the same “element of chance”, the actual laws can vary wildly from state to state. If you are an amusement machine operator, manufacturer, or servicer, we can help.

Gambling

Though the laws in Texas are pretty clear about gambling – unless it’s on the ponies, you can’t do it. But the wind is changing and when gambling does come to Texas, we’ll be ready.

Fantasy Sports & Sports Betting Legislation Trackers

Need to know what’s happening across the country in Fantasy Sports & Gaming Law?