Table of Contents
Sports Betting in Dallas, TX
Everything is bigger in Texas . . . except for online sports betting. When it comes to wagering on sporting events in the Lone Star State, it can prove to be a very lonely proposition.
For years, state legislators have brought forth a variety of bills angling to legalize at least some form of sports betting in the state, and all have been shut down. The latest attempt came earlier this year when Rep. Eddie Lucio III filed a bill designed to authorize sports betting operations, including mobile and online wagering, within the state.
For the sports betting bill to pass into law, it would require a referendum amending the state constitution to be approved by voters in November. Lucio also introduced a resolution in the Texas House or Representatives seeking to amend the state constitution so that, the legislature by law may authorize and regulate the placing of wagers on professional and collegiate sports.
In order for the resolution to be placed on the ballot in the next state election, it would require approval from a two-thirds majority in both the state House and Senate. But the Republican-controlled legislature has been adamantly opposed to legalized sports betting for years, and the 2018 US Supreme Court decision that paved the way for states to legalize betting on sports hasn’t swayed them. Texas Governor Greg Abbott is on record as being in opposition to any legalization of sports betting.
billtrack50.com/
Lucio is a Democrat, making it unlikely that his bill will gain enough traction to bring about any changes to the sports betting landscape in Texas.
Legal or Not Legal To Bet Online in Dallas
Setting up an account with one of the online offshore sportsbooks and making wagers through them is not against the law in Texas. Unless there is a dramatic swing in the view about sports betting within the Texas government, this avenue figures to remain the only way to legally wager on sporting events in the state.
Mobile Betting Apps in Dallas, TX
You can also legally make wagers on sporting events on your mobile device through any of the offshore sportsbooks that accept bets from Texas and Dallas. You can do so either via the sportsbook’s mobile-friendly website or by downloading an app if the sportsbook offers access to one.
While the majority of online sports bettors prefer to make their wagers through their mobile device of choice, betting at an offshore online sportsbook via your PC or laptop is another method that is available to sports bettors in the state of Texas.
Land-Based Casinos near Dallas
Texas is home to 22 casinos. You’ll find that this house more than 4,535 slots and gaming machines, as well as a total of 65 table games. Much to the chagrin of people who reside in Dallas and enjoy playing the slots, craps or blackjack, none of these 22 casinos are nearby.
WinStar World Resort Casino
The nearest casino to Dallas in terms of traveling time is the WinStar World Resort Casino, but that’s across state lines in Thackerville, Oklahoma. It’s approximately an 80-mile trip. The WinStar draws around 3.6 million visitors annually. It’s estimated that 90 percent of those people, about 3.2 million of them, make the journey from the Dallas area.
The closest venue to Dallas within the state with any form of legalized gambling is the Crowley Road Bingo Plex in Fort Worth. This facility offers three separate and distinct bingo halls – Casino Bingo, Monte Carlo Bingo, and Las Vegas Bingo. There is a fourth bingo location in a nearby shopping center.
There are a number of horse racing tracks in the state of Texas. Lone Star Park in Dallas opened in 1997 and splits its meet between thoroughbred and quarter horse racing. The track played host to the 2004 Breeders’ Cup world championship thoroughbred races.
Top Local Sports Betting Blogs
With little to no hope that legalized sports betting will be arriving in Texas anytime in the near future, there really doesn’t seem to be a passion for writing about sports betting in the area.
The local media does a comprehensive job of reporting about the ongoing battle to bring legal sports betting to Dallas and the rest of the state. You can also check regularly with some of the national sports betting sites to keep on top of the Texas sports betting developments.
Professional Teams in Dallas to bet on
Betting on sports in Dallas and looking for value bets? There are some good professional teams for that. Todd Eilers, the co-founder of Eilers & Krejcik, a California-based organization that analyzes trends and opportunities in the gaming industry, believes that with the propensity and popularity of pro sports in the Dallas area, the state of Texas could generate around $1.3 billion annually in profit from legalized sports betting.
Texas Rangers (MLB)
Dallas got its first major league baseball team in 1972 when the Washington Senators relocated to nearby Arlington and set up shop as the Texas Rangers. Over the years, the Rangers have produced five American League MVPs and eight postseason appearances, although the first playoff action didn’t arrive until 1996. The Rangers have played in two World Series but came out on the short end both times. They lost to the San Francisco Giants in 2010 and the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011.
FC Dallas (MLS)
Born as the Dallas Burn, they were original members of Major League Soccer when the loop first formed in 1995. The Burn made the playoffs in each of their first seven seasons but never got to the MLS Cup final. Renamed FC Dallas in 2005, they garnered a first-place finish in the Western Conference in 2006 and reached their first MLS Cup in 2010, losing 2-1 in overtime to the Colorado Rapids.
Dallas Mavericks (NBA)
Owned by Shark Tank star Mark Cuban, the greatest player in Mavericks history was Dirk Nowitzki, who retired following the 2018-19 season. The Mavericks joined the NBA as an expansion club in 1980. They made the playoffs in their fourth season and reached the Western Conference final in their eighth campaign. The Mavericks played the NBA Finals in 2005-06 and lost in six games to the Miami Heat. In 2010-11, they avenged that loss, beating the Heat in a six-game NBA Finals series.
Dallas Cowboys (NFL)
The most famous of all the sports teams in Dallas, the Cowboys are the focal point of this football-mad city. An NFL expansion franchise that began play in 1960, from 1966-83 the Cowboys would only miss the playoffs once under the tutelage of coach Tom Landry. They’ve played in eight Super Bowls and won the Big Game five times but the Cowboys haven’t been back to the Super Bowl since they won Super Bowl XXX in the 1995-96 NFL season.
Dallas Stars (NHL)
People viewed the 1993 decision of the Minnesota North Stars to relocate to Dallas as a puzzling move but those folks didn’t know the rich history of pro hockey in the city. Dallas had a minor-pro team going back to the 1930s. The Dallas Black Hawks were a prominent team for years in the Central Hockey League. The Stars were an instant hit, making the playoffs their first season in Dallas. They won the Stanley Cup in 1998-99 and played in the Cup final again the following season.
Photo by Matthew T Rader
