This was a problem that Governor Dan Patrick probably had a feeling was coming. With the postseason here for the National Basketball Association, people all over the country are racing in to place their bets. However, only 39 states allow legal wages to be placed and nothing but bad Texas betting news has been coming in for the legal push. Well, because of that, illegal NBA betting is on the rise in Teass with the playoffs in full swing.

Again, is anyone surprised by this? Now is the time of the year where basketball fans everywhere love watching their favorite teams closely and putting money down. In Texas, countless eyes are on the San Antonio Spurs, as the Western Conference side is fighting to keep its NBA Finals hopes alive. Right now, the Spurs are in a heated series with the Timberwolves and the hope is San Antonio can move on to the Conference Finals.

“We have to be better,” Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama said after the tough Game 1 loss to Minnesota. “It shows up on the stat sheet. We need to figure out before 48 hours what we can do better and I’ve got no doubt that we will. I trust us.”

Wembanyama and his teammates were disappointed in the loss, but there were a ton of bettors checking the top NBA betting sites who were down in the dumps too after the close loss. Still people were placing their bets through off-shore accounts and illegal bookies, which is an issue that just won't go away in Texas. The longer the Spurs remain in the NBA playoffs, the more illegal bets are going to come in. This is something Patrick wants eliminated as soon as possible.

The Texas battle against prediction markets isn't going to plan

With that said, it's important to remember that the Texas battle against prediction markets isn't going to plan either, as Kalshi, Robinhood and others remain in operation in the Lone Star State. This is an issue that Patrick has been trying to handle for months, but nothing has been moving in the right direction. The main problem that Texas is running into is that these markets are regulated at a federal level.

Because of that, people in Texas aren't breaking any laws and a bit of a 'loophole' has been found for people to place their sports bets. Not only that, but political betting has become quite popular, which is of course a big problem. We're now seeing people running for positions also betting on themselves or on their particular race, which is something Kalshi and others have been working to crack down.

This adds to the sports betting nightmare, as local officials are also trying to crack down on all of the illegal activity. Because of that, the prediction markets are causing plenty of headaches all over Texas, which is not something Patrick and Co. were expecting right now. There have been several lawsuits that have been filed, but things remain a bit in flux. It's up in the air when a final decision will be made, but there isn't a ton of optimism that a resolution will be coming in soon.

Dan Patrick remains divided on sports betting in Texas

As we've brought up before, Governor Dan Patrick remains divided on sports betting in Texas, which is not ideal. Previously, Patrick had said that he'd be open to the idea of betting in the state, but Republicans don't seem to be on the same page with him and not a lot is being done on his part to help with the efforts.

Later this year, Patrick is up for reelection and it has local citizens worried that it could have yet another negative impact on trying to get sports betting legalized in Texas. For now, Patrick is favored to return to office and if that happens, there's worry that sports betting and casino gambling could get delayed once again.

However, as long as prediction markets are in place, the loophole for sports betting in Texas will remain. However, what if Patrick ends up being successful in getting those banned in the state? And on top of that, what if he keeps getting in the way of betting legalization? If both those options turn out to be true, then it's only going to add to the anger for Texans out there.