The NBA and NFL are by far the most bet on sports leagues in the United States. NBA betting in particular is growing tremendously year after year, and this is especially true in Texas, which is home to three popular and successful NBA teams, the Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs.
On this page you will find:
- Our #1 rated betting site for Texas residents.
- The basic legalities surrounding betting in the state.
- Explanations and examples of the three most popular NBA bets you can make on a game.
- A simple 3 step guide you can follow to get your NBA bets placed online.
#1 Sportsbook for Texas Residents
Bovada.lv is our #1 rated betting site for Texas residents interested in wagering on the NBA. Bovada is the most popular betting site serving the American public and they have established themselves as a safe, secure and trusted sportsbook over the past decade.
Bovada offers competitive betting lines on every NBA game throughout the season and has upwards of 300 prop betting markets for games in addition to the main bets.
Sports Betting in Texas
It is not currently legal to operate a sportsbook in Texas.
That said, Texas residents are not restricted from joining and placing bets through an offshore betting site that is located, licensed and regulated outside of the USA. Bovada is licensed and regulated offshore by the Union of the Comoros, which allows them to provide service to Texans and residents of most other US States.
Texas could legalize and regulate sports betting in the near future. There was some interest in legalized sports betting during the 2023 Texas legislative session. A sports betting bill made it through the House, but was not considered by the Senate. The Texas legislature meets every two years, so the earliest sports betting could be legalized in Texas is now 2025.
Check out our Texas sports betting section for a further look at the legal betting climate in the state.
Popular NBA Bets
There are three main NBA bets that take the vast majority of the action on each NBA game. These are the point spread, money line (to win) and over/under (totals) odds.
Point Spread
The point spread attempts to even out the game by basically spotting the underdog a certain number of points (the spread).
If you are betting the favorites to cover the spread, they must win by more points than that spread amount. If you are betting on the underdogs to “beat the spread” they must either win the game outright or lose by fewer points than the spread.
Here’s an example from Spurs and Mavericks opening game from this season. The -8.5 for the Mavericks indicates that they are 8.5 point favorites in the game, while the +8.5 beside Spurs indicates they are 8.5 point underdogs. For a spread bet on the Mavs to win they would have to win the game by 9 or more points. If the Spurs win the game or the Mavericks win by 8 or fewer points then the Spurs +8.5 bet is a winner.
Money Line (To Win)
You can also simply wager on which team is going to win the game, no spread involved. The money line odds are set based on each teams perceived chances of winning the game. If a team is the favorite a bet on them to win will payout less than a bet on the underdog.
The Mavericks have odds of -380 to win the game outright. This means you would have to wager $380 to win $100 betting on the Mavs.
On the flip side, a $100 bet on the Spurs wins $290 if they pull off the upset.
Check out our sports betting odds page to learn more about the American Odds format.
Over/Under (Total)
The over/under bet involves wagering on the total number of points to be scored in a game (by both teams combined). The oddsmaker sets a “total” and you can bet on whether there will be more (over) or fewer (under) points scored in the game.
The over/under for the Spurs vs Mavericks game is set at 228.5.
- If 229 or more points are scored the over bets win.
- If 228 or fewer points are scored the under bets win.
How To Bet On The NBA From Texas – 3 Step Guide
Follow these three steps to get your bets placed on NBA games online from Texas.
Step 1. Open a Bovada.lv Account
Click the above link to head to the Bovada website and complete the overlay form on the home page to open your account.
Bovada is the most popular online sportsbook serving the United States and our top rated betting site for Texas residents.
Step 2. Deposit
After logging into your account click on the ‘Deposit’ button. Choose one of the deposit options (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, bitcoin, or other cryptocurrencies) and complete the instructions to fund your account.
Your first deposit is entitled to a 50% matching bonus up to $250. You will have to claim the bonus on the “My Rewards” page of your account.
Step 3. Place Your NBA Bets
- Click on ‘Sports’ from the top navigation bar.
- Click ‘Basketball’ from the secondary sports menu bar.
- Select ‘NBA’ from ‘Trending Competitions’ or ‘Basketball A-Z’ menus.
- Select the bet you want to make.
- Enter your risk amount on the Bet Slip.
- Click ‘Place Bets’ when you are happy with the risk and win amounts.
Here’s a screenshot of a bet on a past Rockets money line as an example:
Are you ready to bet? Click here to visit Bovada.lv.
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