Throughout history, there's been nothing but negative Texas sports betting news, as things have not been legalized. Right now, there are 39 states with legal betting, but Texas not being on the list is infuriating. With all of that said, it's important to keep in mind Greg Abbott's run for Governor will have a huge impact on Texas sports betting. That's because come November, we'll find out if he'll be back in office or not.

Originally, Abbott was voted into office in 2014. He has now served three terms as the Texas Governor and he's hoping to get the nod for a fourth time. Should that happen, it would be historic for Abbott and the state, but it indeed is going to impact sports betting. Abbott has been a major obstacle for the push to get things over the line. If he does get his fourth term, there are plenty of people who are nervous it will only delay things even further.

"I'm not there yet - I'm simply not there yet," Abbott said not too long ago on why casinos and legal sports betting hadn't been given the green light. "Because we’ve seen increasingly problems that go along with gaming. Whether it be addiction or whether it be things that are happening in sporting events and athletes who are on the take.”

Those comments alone from Abbott upset plenty of people, as Abbott made it seem like he's going to keep standing in the way of things getting done. This fall, Texas voters will have the opportunity to either get Abbott in office or elect someone else. It will be interesting to see how things go down here, but it's going to have a major impact on things for sports betting one way or the other. We'll wait and see what happens overall here.

Greg Abbott must keep illegal betting in mind moving forward

While there's so much division on whether or not to get this done, there's no question that Greg Abbott must keep illegal betting in mind moving forward. As we've written about before at Online Sports Betting, illegal sports betting continues to be on the rise in Texas. Millions of dollars are being wagered each month on sports, but it's being done in an unregulated fashion. This is something that can't continue.

States across the country continue to rake in a ton of money from sports betting taxes, which is something that Texas is missing out on. This is something Abbott and officials have in mind, but they also have a ton of negatives in mind too, which is why things have been stalling a bit. The big concern is gambling addiction, as there has been a rise in those issues across the board. This is a big reason why Texas is in no rush.

However, the fact of the matter here is that people are still getting their sports wagers in one way or the other. Wouldn't Texas rather get some revenue from things instead of illegal bookies making this kind of money? That's an argument that continues to make the rounds. Don't forget that prediction markets are also taking over in Texas, which has provided a loophole for people to place their sports bets.

This is something that Abbott and Co. are also working against. In case you missed it, it was previously reported that the Federal Government is working to bring things to a halt where sports betting is not legal, but there are a ton of question marks there. This is something Texas is of course following closely, but it's all up in the air there.

When is the earliest Texas sports betting can get legalized?

A big question people have on their minds right now is when is the earliest Texas sports betting can get legalized? After things have failed miserably in recent attempts, all eyes are going to be on 2027. Come next January, the next regular legislative session will open, meaning the door will open for change to arrive.

At that time, the hope will be that a head-turning sports betting bill will be presented and things can move in the right direction. Making sure a great bill gets written up, though, is the first step to making things potentially happen. Time and time again, we've seen Republicans and Democrats not get on the same page due to a sports betting bill.

This is where things will have to change in a big way. At the end of the day, though, whether or not Abbott returns for one more term is also going to impact things. Abbott has been pretty adamant that he's not ready for sports betting to get done for Texas, which has countless people up in arms. He'll have to have a change of heart soon for some optimism to arrive.