It's hard to believe, but the countdown for the World Cup has now reached less than a month. Things are set to get started soon, but there are going to be plenty of games in Texas, with Dallas set to take center stage for some big-time contests. Because of this, it shouldn't come as a surprise that World Cup betting in Texas is a rising concern for the state. Matter of fact, plenty of bets are already being made online, with the prediction market numbers sky-high. This impacted Texas betting news largely.

In a new report from the Dallas Morning News, it was highlighted that Kalshi betting numbers are quite high, with there expected to be more than $30 million bet alone through the prediction markets in the United States. While there's no official prediction for the Lone Star State, there's an expectation that the numbers are going to be head-turning. This comes with countless officials in Texas already unhappy with how things are operating.

In total, there are going to be nine games being played in Dallas for the 2026 World Cup, which is only adding intrigue to soccer betting as a whole. Things will get started in Texas on June 14 with the Netherlands and Japan facing off. Then on June 17, England and Croatia will be ready to go to battle on the pitch. There will be three more games in the group stages that people are quite excited about.

With all of that said, keep in mind that there's no betting via the prediction markets on individual games, but people are racing for the futures outcomes - in particular, a lot of bets are being placed all over the country on who's going to end up winning the World Cup. Things are only going to heat up there leading up to the start of the World Cup, and then they'll keep climbing as the games progress too.

Spain and France remain the co-favorites to win the 2026 World Cup

Taking a look at things as a whole, Spain and France remain the co-favorites to win the 2026 World Cup, as the majority of bets are going in on them right now. This is no stunner, as Spain has a loaded team, with Lamine Yamal looking to remind everyone why he's one of the best talents in the world. Spain has what it takes to win it all, but things certainly are not going to be easy for them.

With France, the same can be said, as Kylian Mbappe is hoping to silence some of the negative talk around his name. His season with Real Madrid did not go to plan at all, which is why the hype surrounding his name right now has not been ideal. Despite that, France is loaded from top to bottom with its starting 11 and there's a reason they hold such fantastic World Cup betting odds.

There are of course other teams to keep a close eye on, including Argentina. The reigning World Cup champions won it all in 2022, beating France in the final. It was easily one of the best games in World Cup history and with this being Lionel Messi's last tournament, he's going to want to make a splash. Ronaldo has the same motivation, as this is his last dance of sorts with Portugal. This is something bettors in Texas are keeping in mind.

Texas Governor Dan Patrick won't love the World Cup betting report

It goes without saying, but Texas Governor Dan Patrick won't love the World Cup betting report, as he and other Texas officials have consistently voiced how they're not happy with prediction markets being so popular in the state. As things stand, sports betting as a whole is not legal in Texas - in-person sports betting is not on the table and neither is online betting. There are only a handful of open casinos in the state.

While Texas has been working diligently to get some sports betting options passed, nothing has gone right there, as opposition continues to get in the way. Because of that, sports betting is illegal and the 'loophole' of the prediction markets has opened the door for local citizens to get in their online bets in a backdoor kind of way.

This is exactly what we're seeing with the World Cup betting. Once again, things are only going to heat up there in the coming weeks and certainly leading up to the Final in New York. Futures bets are going to remain consistent, which only adds to the problems for Patrick and Texas moving forward. Kalshi and other outlets will benefit from this, but Texas most definitely will not.