Casinos in Texas

While Texas is by no means a gambling paradise, local casino enthusiasts are free to engage in horse race betting, take part in the state-operated lottery or play all kinds of casino games at the Native American casino owned by the Kickapoo tribe. Nevertheless, it’s worth remembering that Texas lawmakers aren’t exactly fond of regulated online gambling and that Texas regulations tend to be rather strict when it comes to illegal gambling operators or players who participate in unlawful gambling activities.

Texas Gambling Laws

All the regulated forms of gambling and gambling related offenses are covered by Chapter 47 of the Texas Statutes. Playing casino games in the privacy of your home is generally allowed, however operating an illegal gambling outfit and profiting from the wagers is considered a serious criminal offense.

Furthermore, taking part in such illegal games might result in a misdemeanor charge. However, the current regulations have been designed before online casino sites became popular, which means that there are no laws pertaining specifically to gambling over the internet. The authorities might assume that the general laws extend to online gambling, but this line of reasoning hasn’t been tested in the court due to the fact that no individual gamblers have been prosecuted for playing at offshore sites so far.

Online Casinos

Texas residents aren’t able to play on any local sites operating under a license issued by one of the US states, which means that the only online casino they can access are offshore sites, which are actually based in countries like Canada or Antigua. Most of those sites accept customers from all over the world, which means that the bonuses and jackpots they offer are among some of the best in the industry right now. Furthermore, high-profile offshore casinos are perfectly safe to play on, as they simply can’t afford losing traffic by failing to meet the highest standards in terms of security and customer service.

Offshore Casino Sites That Accept Texas Players

Most of the US-facing offshore casino sites have absolutely no qualms about allowing Texas residents to join the real money action. The vast majority of those sites is powered by the latest generation of Real Time Gaming Software, which is comparable with similar casino packages developed by Europe-facing industry giants, such as Microgaming or Playtech. Consequently, Texas-based casino enthusiasts are able to access some of the best slot games, video poker variants, and table games that have been released up to this point – and if that wasn’t enough, many sites offer exclusive slots from third-party developers, including all the stunning 3D titles from BetSoft Gaming.

Please note that popular e-wallet services such as Skrill or Neteller refuse to process offshore gambling-related transactions when dealing with US-based customers, which means that Texas-based casino enthusiasts don’t have all that many banking options to choose from. The most popular deposit methods include credit card payments and Western Union/MoneyGram money orders. The default withdrawal method for most offshore casinos is via a bank wire transfer, but most sites allow Texas residents to request a cash out via a check by courier.

Developing Legal Scenarios

Texas has a serious problem with influential lobbying groups that wish to preserve the current status quo, which means that it is very unlikely for the state to pass any i-gaming friendly regulations in the foreseeable future.