When will some positive Texas betting news come in for local citizens? That's the question that plenty of people have on their minds, as nothing but negative updates have been coming in. With that, there have been some recent controversies surrounding betting in the state, of course including the prediction markets. However, with an athlete at the university level getting caught betting, it once again proved that sports betting addiction now a major point of contention in Texas.

That's because the opposition for sports betting legalization continues to bring up what ended up happening in this case. If you missed it, Brendan Sorsby, a quarterback at Texas Tech, was caught betting on games. He was suspended from playing, then reinstated, but then news just arrived that he's going to end the NFL Draft. With all of that mess, it has countless Republicans reminding leaders why sports betting would be a major mistake moving forward.

"Sorsby's betting, all of which is prohibited by the NCAA, included 40 bets on Indiana while he was a freshman there," PBS' Williams Brangham wrote in a new piece. "He was banned from the sport and would not have been able to play his last year at Texas Tech. But he and the school appealed, arguing he has a gambling addiction and anxiety issues."

That was a powerful message from Brangham and it has reminded us all that sports betting addiction and anxiety is real, and it is impacting a lot of your youth. Texas is one of only 11 states where there's no legal sports betting. This is something Texas wants changed soon, but with so much opposition, it remains to be seen if any positive steps are going to be coming in the near future or not. Everything is all a bit unclear here.

Governor Dan Patrick remains opposed to sports betting moving forward

What continues to be an issue here for the state is that Governor Dan Patrick remains opposed to sports betting moving forward. We don't have to tell you that this is a giant issue for Texas, as Patrick is a high-ranking official, and his thoughts hold a lot of weight. He seems to be content on doing whatever is needed to make sure that no legal sports betting options arrive in the near future.

On top of that, Patrick is also pushing forward in trying to bring an end to prediction markets being able to operate in the state. In early May, as we wrote about here on OSB, Patrick took the next step in trying to get rid of the sports betting 'loophole' that has arrived in the Lone Star State. With prediction markets, it opens the door for people in Texas to place their sports wagers without breaking any rules.

This is because those markets are regulated at a Federal level. We have seen other states file lawsuits to ban things, including Minnesota signing in a new law that would eliminate those types of sports bets come August 1. However, the Trump administration has fired back, with Kalshi being among those launching a lawsuit in return. It will be interesting to see if Texas goes with a similar process, but the future is murky there too.

Illegal sports betting is always going to be a major issue in Texas

Even with prediction markets, for now, being available for local citizens, keep in mind too that illegal sports betting is always going to be a major issue in Texas. Not only are people logging in through off-shore accounts for their sports bets, but illegal bookies continue to operate on a consistent level. Why is this a big problem for Texas?

Because millions of dollars are being exchanged and it's not being regulated. With that, Texas is losing out on so much money in terms of tax revenue. With World Cup betting taking place right now too, and Dallas hosting some big game, there's a missed opportunity for Texas in making a lot of money.

The only way this is going to change in the near future, will be if legalization arrives. However, with so much opposition standing in the way and Patrick doing nothing to help the efforts, we don't know when legal options might arrive. For now, it feels like 2028 might make the most sense, but all the uncertainty has been deflating for people to see. With nearly 40 other states legalizing sports betting, it's not fair at all that Texas is so behind here at all.