Casino gambling has been outlawed in Texas for years, and while efforts to legalize both land-based and online casinos in recent years, casinos can’t operate unless they are on tribal lands. Online casinos face a massive uphill battle, as only Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia have launched online casino gaming (Nevada allows online poker but no other games, and Rhode Island has legalized but not launched yet).
In this piece, we’ll take a look at what online casino bonuses could come to Texas if current laws change, explain how the bonuses would work once they arrive, and provide a timeline for possible Texas online gambling legislation.
Top Texas online casino bonuses
Online casino bonuses aren’t yet available in Texas because online casinos haven’t been legalized in the Lone Star State. If that legal status should change, we expect these to be among the top options available.
When will Texas online casino bonuses be available to claim?
There is no timeline for when Texas online casino bonuses will be available to claim, though it would likely be at least six months after the state legalizes such forms of e-gaming. This would give the state time to establish casino operation guidelines and review operators for licensing before launching the platforms statewide.
It’s more likely that Texas would legalize land-based casinos before their online counterparts than the other way around, as casino gaming is currently prohibited outside of the operations on tribal lands. Additionally, Texas’ three tribal casinos are designated as Class II gambling facilities, meaning iconic table games like blackjack, roulette, and craps are unavailable, as are slot machines.
Texas’ state legislature meets every other year, and while a bill to legalize casino gaming was introduced in the 2023 session, that bill is on hold until at least the 2025 session. With this in mind, barring a special session, the soonest Texas could expand casino gambling (either to open other casinos or launch online operations) would be 2026, though there doesn’t seem to be strong enough legislative momentum for this to happen.
Until such time as online casinos in Texas are legalized, you’re welcome to play at a social/sweepstakes casino, as this is permitted under Texas law. Social casinos don’t require you to use real money to play and don’t offer cash prizes, so this can be a good way to practice strategies and familiarize yourself with the games that will be available after launch.
Different types of Texas online casino bonuses we expect to see
Once online casinos are permitted to operate in Texas, there are many different types of bonuses we expect to see, as the operators will want to make sure new players are winning early and often to keep playing on their sites. Here are some of the main versions you’ll see.