Texas Sports Betting Support is Wavering

A recent NBA betting scandal has apparently shifted public sentiment on the prospective legalization of Texas sports betting.

And just in case you were wondering, it’s not for the better.

In the aftermath of Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former NBA guard Damon Jones getting caught up in a federal indictment pertaining to sports betting and rigged poker games, News 4 in San Antonio ran a poll. The question they posed is simple: “After Thursday's NBA gambling scandal, should Texas delay legalizing sports betting?” Here are the results, according to Christopher Hoffman of News 4:

Yes, Texas sports betting should be delayed: 53 percent
No, it shouldn’t be delayed: 33 percent
Maybe it should be legalized, if they tighten the rules: 10 percent
Not sure; need more information: 4 percent

These responses will not incite much hope among those who want legal sports betting in Texas. The passage of a bill anytime soon, quite frankly, is considered a long shot. But support among residents in The Lone Star State is among the biggest catalysts behind policymakers discussing legalization at all.

Based on the results from this Texas sports betting poll, though, state officials may not feel any sort of pressure to make the matter a priority in the coming legislative sessions.

What Is Going On With The NBA Betting Scandal?

To be sure, the NBA’s betting scandal was not specific to Texas. It is more of an issue for online sports betting in the United States at large. The full indictments of the allegations against Billups, Rozier and Jones are publicly available if you’re so inclined to pore over them. For everyone else, here is a quick synopsis of who is accused of what:

Chauncey Billups: The current head coach of the Trail Blazers, who is on suspension, is alleged to have participated in rigged poker games linked to a handful of major North American crime families. Billups' role was, allegedly, to serve as a “whale,” which is a big-name player who would draw in targets to play at the compromised games. He is also accused of having passed along injury information pertaining to Blazers players to someone who was involved with running those rigged poker games.
Terry Rozier: The Heat guard, who is also on leave, is accused of informing a friend he would be pulling himself from a game early. The friend in question then passed along the information to people who heavily bet the “under” on Rozier’s props. Rozier and his friend allegedly then received proceeds from the incident.
Daman Jones: The former NBA guard is alleged to have passed along injury information pertaining to Lakers players, including superstars Anthony Davis and LeBron James, while spending time around the team a couple of seasons ago.
Of note for all of the allegations: None of them are related to this season. The charges tied to NBA gambling specifically date back to the 2023-24 season.

Why Is This Impacting The Perception Of Texas Sports Betting?

This is a great question. After all, this isn’t specifically a Texas sports betting scandal. What’s more, these allegations aren’t exactly caps-lock NEW.

The Billups and Jones details are novel. But the Terry Rozier scandal has been in the ether for over a year. The NBA even held its own investigation, which concluded he did nothing wrong. So while it’s still news-worthy that the FBI held a press conference about all of this, it wasn’t directly related to Texas sports betting. This lends itself to some confusion over the response.

More than anything, this feels like a case of recency bias. Which is not to say betting scandals should be ignored. They shouldn’t. They are cropping up with increased frequency now that sports betting in the United States is so prevalent. But perception of legalization is bound to be at its most negative fresh out of any development that emphasizes the downsides of sports betting.

We can liken this to asking a marathon runner “When are you running your next marathon?” immediately after they cross the finish line. They will almost assuredly give an answer along the lines “I don’t know” or “I’m not running another one.” What they just went through is too raw in their minds (and bodies) to zoom out and give a bigger-picture answer.

If you ask the same people who responded to News 4 in San Antonio’s poll about their thoughts a couple of months from now, they may be more inclined to give a completely different response.

Support For Sports Betting In Texas Is Nevertheless Debatable

With all of that said, support for Texas sports betting is far from a known quantity. Experts have previously estimated that up to 60 percent of residents favor some form of legalization. But we don’t have mass data on those findings.

Just like News 4 in San Antonio’s poll, these surveys tend to be more regional. We need more research on the larger sentiment toward Texas sports betting with a state-wide survey.

Still, we needn’t pretend such a poll would change The Lone Star State’s stance. There is a reason so many Texans are searching for sports betting alternatives: Legalization is not considered imminent.

In fact, most people in the industry would be shocked if Texas sports betting laws change before the end of the decade. That is how far away legalization efforts have seemed over the years.

Perhaps we will receive evidence to the contrary during 2026 legislative meetings. For now, though, the response following the NBA’s most recent betting scandal seems less about recency bias, and more like an accurate reflection of where the state stands.

Take a look at this list of the top online sportsbooks so you can find one that works for all of your sports betting needs: