With over 2 million residents in the city of Houston and over 7 million in the Greater Houston metropolitan area it comes with no surprise that Houston is a hot bed for professional sports teams and subsequently sports fans/bettors.
The Houston Texans are beloved in the area and are a big catalyst for sports betting in the city. Add in the Houston Rockets of the NBA, the Dynamo of the MLS and the Astros in the MLB and you have a full variety of professional sports teams located in the city and with them come their fans looking to wager on games.
Is Sports Betting Legal in Houston?
It is not legal to operate a sportsbook in the State of Texas.
That said, it is legal for Texas residents to wager on sports through offshore betting sites. These offshore sportsbooks are licensed and regulated in jurisdictions outside of the United States.
I have outlined two quality and regulated sportsbooks that accept American residents below.
Best Sportsbooks for Houston Residents
- Built for American bettors
- Wide variety of competitive betting lines
- Easy to navigate betting platform
These are the top two online betting sites for Houston residents. Each site is widely popular across the United States and I’m sure you’ve at least heard of both of these quality sites. In fact, Bovada only accepts American residents, so that they can fully customize their sportsbook to cater directly to the American audience.
Offline Sports Betting in Houston
No offline sports betting is allowed in Houston or the State of Texas as a whole. If you are looking to bet through a land based sportsbook you will have to travel to out of state to place your wager.
Horse racing is the only sport where regulated betting is allowed at land based establishments (horse racing tracks) in Texas.
**Texas lawmakers are currently attempting to legalize sports betting during the 2023 Legislative Session. A bill related to sports betting was introduced at the start of the session, and there is strong support from influential voices to it across the finish line. The bill proposes an amendment to the constitution so if it’s approved it would still require a statewide vote in November. If progress is not made then regulated sports betting in Texas will have to wait until at least 2025 because the Texas Legislature only meets every two years.
Sam Houston Race Park
The Sam Houston Race Park is a popular horse racing track located just 20 minutes north of downtown Houston. Sam Houston Race Park has a very active live racing schedule, so you can catch live races the majority of the year at the track.
You are able to bet on the live races at Sam Houston Race Park, and you’re also given the opportunity to wager on other high profile races from across the USA at the track.
I should note that you are also able to wager on Sam Houston Race Park races through either of the online sportsbooks I outlined above.
Major Sports Teams in Houston
- Houston Astros (Baseball – MLB)
- Houston Dynamo FC (Soccer – MLS)
- Houston Rockets (Basketball – NBA)
- Houston Roughnecks (Football – XFL)
- Houston Texans (Football – NFL)