As of this writing, there are only 11 U.S. States who have yet to legalize sports betting. In a painful reminder for citizens in Texas, they are unfortunately on that list who are yet to get things across the board. However, places like Kalshi have opened the door for people to participate, with sports betting somehow being an option. With that said, Congress going after prediction markets will have a big impact on Texas sports betting moving forward.

That's because all signs are pointing to Congress doing everything possible to make sure sports betting is no longer available through those prediction market apps. As things stand, Kalshi offers up some sports betting options for its users in locations where legal sports betting is now allowed. This includes California and Texas. Kalshi is consistently putting out sports betting odds and its users are placing wagers on things. This is something Texas doesn't want to keep being allowed.

In late March, multiple Democrats teamed together to present legislation that would indeed bring a halt to the sports betting options on these particular apps. It makes sense, as the states opposed to the prediction markets haven't yet legalized sports betting. In their eyes, why should Kalshi and others continue to operate this way, especially since states aren't seeing any returns in terms of sports betting taxes.

For now, it's up in the air if the laws are going to change or not, as there's surely plenty of loopholes that need to be jumped through. However, it's incredibly telling that the Federal Government is seeing this as a big enough issue that things are in motion here a bit. It will be interesting to see how things play out, but it's also clear that places like Kalshi have rubbed plenty of people the wrong way, especially when it comes to its sports betting options.

Texas' sports betting efforts have been a major issue for years

What would help here would be if the state could get on the same page for legalization, but it's no secret that Texas' sports betting efforts have been a major issue for years. In March of 2025, it was confirmed that all the potential bills were essentially dead on the table, with no support coming through. This news came after several different bills were presented, only for things to get shot down early on in the process.

That has led to an incredible amount of frustration for Texas sports fans, as they are sick and tired of having to leave the state for their sports betting needs. This has also led to countless people relying on Kalshi for their sports betting needs, but if Congress ends up being successful in its pursuit of getting things wiped off the table then, then it's going to mean that no legal sports betting options will be around.

For 2026, there's no legislative session on the books, which means 2027 will be the earliest that a 180 can be recorded for the sports betting push. However, it's totally up in the air if a proper bill will be presented for people to try and get on board with. Leading up to the next legislative session, the hope is that Democrats and Republicans can find a way to meet in the middle, but a big issue is there are still so many people opposed to getting this done.

In Texas alone, there's no sports betting and traditional casinos are illegal - there are a handful of tribal owned ones that are in operation, but as a whole the majority of betting options are not available. This is something that Texans are hoping can change as soon as possible, but until it does, people will continue traveling to outside states, while others will continue to use illegal methods for their sports betting, which is also a big-time problem.

Illegal MLB betting is already a large concern for the 2026 season

As you might have been able to guess, illegal MLB betting is already a large concern for the 2026 season. Right now, both the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers are going to want to make a splash. With the Astros in particular, people are always checking the MLB betting sites for the Houston odds, as they are always a threat to go on a deep run in the postseason.

This campaign is going to be no different, as Jose Altuve and Co. are going to want to make a ton of noise. With that, local baseball fans are chomping at the bit to make MLB bets, which leads to them going the illegal route for those wagers. People are also using Kalshi and Polymarket for their betting needs, but illegal bookies and offshore accounts are popular too.

The only way for this to get fixed is for legal, regulated betting to arrive. However, nothing but negative Texas betting news has been coming in, which doesn't give people much hope that things are going to be made legal in 2027. That could change if the right sports betting bill arrives, but people aren't going to be holding their breath there.