NHL betting handle has continued to grow in the United States over the past several years. This includes in Texas, where the Dallas Stars have built a strong team that made it to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2020, and lost in the Conference Finals the past two years.
On this page I will recommend our #1 rated betting site for Texas residents, touch on the state of regulated betting in the state, look at the three most common bets made on NHL games, and finish with a simple 3 step guide you can follow to bet on the NHL online.
Best Betting Site for Texas Residents
Bovada.lv is our top rated betting site for Texas residents interested in betting on NHL games online. Bovada has been in business since 2012 and has emerged as the most popular and trusted betting site serving the US market in that span.
Bovada offers a wide variety of early and fair odds on all NHL games.
Sports Betting in Texas
It is not legal to operate a sportsbook within the state of Texas. Regulating sports betting was seriously considered during the 2023 legislation session, but ultimately failed at the Senate, so legalized sports betting will not be coming to Texas until at least 2025, which is the next time the Texas Legislature meets.
At this time, if you live in Texas and want to bet on sports you can still do so by using an offshore betting site that is licensed and regulated outside of the United States. Bovada falls into this category as an offshore sportsbook that accepts players from the USA, including Texas.
Popular NHL Bets
There are three NHL bets that take the majority of betting handle on every NHL game. These include the money line, puck line and over/under. Below I will use examples from the Dallas Stars opening game from this season to explain the three most popular NHL wagers.
To Win (Money Line)
The most popular bet on NHL games is simply wagering on which team will win. The oddsmaker sets the odds based on each teams perceived chance of winning the game, with the odds representing the risk vs reward of a bet on either team.
In this example the Dallas Stars are slight -120 favorites vs the Nashville Predators. You would have to risk $120 to win $100 betting on Dallas. Nashville has EVEN odds so a $100 bet would win $100 betting on the Predators.
Puck Line (Spread)
In the NHL the puck spread is almost always 1.5 goals. The favorite must win by 2 or more goals to win a puck line bet, while the underdog must either win the game or lose by 1.
Unlike the NBA or NFL where the spread has the ability to even the playing field to the point where both sides of the bet payout the same amount (or close to it), the NHL puck line still relies heavily on the odds.
In this example Dallas was a slight favorite to win the game, but they are big underdogs to win the game by 2 or more. A $100 bet on Dallas -1.5 would win $215 (payout $315) if they won the game by 2 or more goals.
On the flip side you would have to risk $260 to win $100 betting on the Predators +1.5, which would payout if they either win the game or lose by 1.
Over/Under (Total)
The over/under bet involves wagering on the total number of goals to be scored in the game. The oddsmaker will set a total and you can bet on whether the number of goals scored by both teams combined will be over or under that total.
In this example the over/under is set at 6.0. If 7 or more goals are scored in the game the over bets would be graded winners, while if 5 or fewer goals are scored the under bets would win. If exactly 6 goals are scored the total bets would push and wagers returned.
NHL Betting in Texas – How To Guide
Complete this three step tutorial to get your NHL bets placed online from Texas.
Step 1. Join Bovada.lv
Click the above link and fill out the sign up form on the home page to open your account.
Bovada is our top rated sportsbook for Texas residents.
Step 2. Deposit Funds
After logging into your account click on the ‘Deposit’ button under your account drop down menu in the top right corner of the screen.
Select your preferred deposit method (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Bitcoin, etc), enter your deposit amount, and follow the instructions to make your deposit.
You can cash out your winnings via bitcoin, bank wire or check through the mail.
Step 3. Place Your NHL Bets
It’s time to place your bets!
- Click ‘Sports’ from the top menu bar.
- Open the ‘All Sports (A-Z)’ drop down menu in the secondary menu and select ‘Hockey’.
- Select the NHL bet you want to make to add it to your Bet Slip.
- Enter your risk amount and click ‘Place Bets’ to lock in your wager.
Ready to bet? Click here to visit Bovada.lv.
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