Everything is bigger in Texas, right? Even Texas sports betting apps? Well, sort of. There’s certainly no shortage of these Texas betting apps — perhaps too many. That’s why we wanted to take it upon ourselves to hand-pick the very best betting app in Texas for you. Keep on reading for a complete guide to it all!

Best 5 Sports Betting Apps For Texas

To preface, selecting the top Texas sports betting app didn’t come easy. We reviewed hundreds and put our hard-earned money on the line. But after all that, five apps stood out to us for all the good reasons. Here’s what we recommend for Texas-based bettors:

1. Bovada

Betting sports online still has a stigma among certain people — despite widespread legalization (except in Texas; more on that shortly). Many believe it’s scammy. Welp, this is why we recommend the Bovada app right away because this platform is a trustworthy and safe as can be. Bovada has been in the game before the likes of DraftKings or FanDuel so they’ve earned their keep.

Bovada Texas

Bettors that use the Bovada app will be met with a straightforward experience. Many of the newer apps try to attract users with gimmicks or insane free-play deals. Nothing wrong with that, but Bovada's app works so well that it doesn't have to do the same.

Bets are organized neatly, money is easy to transfer in and out, placing wagers is cake, and so forth. This ease of use is a major reason why Bovada is so popular across the world. The thing just works like it’s supposed to, and that means something. No lag, no error, nothing.

In particular, first-time online gamblers will take to Bovada for the reasons we've already mentioned — it's a straightforward experience on the app. So long as these bettors understand how to read betting odds, Bovada won't add any layer of confusion to the playing experience.

We can't knock Bovada for much. They've been around the block for a reason, and even with the advent of mobile betting, the site evolved to keep up. The app holds up well with even new entrants in the marketplace.

App Pros & Cons

  • Extremely trustworthy
  • Mobile app works really well
  • Bonuses are cheap compared to competitors
  • App looks dated

Our Final Verdict: 9.5/10

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2. BetUS

When it comes to promotional bonuses, no one — and we mean no one — outdoes BetUS. It’s for this reason we recommend the BetUS app to bettors cause let’s face it, we could all use some spare free play to fund our bets with. Well, BetUS doesn’t just give you spare money, it gives you boatloads of it.

BetUs Texas

There are so many BetUS deals we could bring attention to, but we’ll call out the welcome bonus. On the app, this deal could reach either $3125 or $5000 in free play (depending on the payment method). These are insane amounts of free play, that doubles, triples, or even quadruples what competitors dole out.

Almost all BetUS offers hinge on depositing money into the app in the first place. Naturally, the question becomes: can you use the app to deposit money easily? The answer is a resounding yes. We were able to move funds using our debit cards like a breeze.

There is an exception to the rule though and that's crypto. It's not impossible to transfer crypto using the BetUS mobile app, but it's not the most pleasant experience. BetUS is not at fault here and it's more indicative of the crypto industry which isn't all that mobile-friendly.

Aside from that, the BetUS app shines where it needs to shine — offering insane amounts of free bets, making deposits easy, and providing a sea of betting options across sports. Those three features will get the job done for the majority of bettors.

App Pros & Cons

  • Biggest bonuses of all in terms of dollar value
  • Well-stocked sportsbook menu
  • Too short expiration period on free play (only seven days)
  • High rollover rates before withdrawals are possible

Our Final Verdict: 9.3/10

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3. XBet

We can’t say enough good things about the mobile-betting experience of the XBet app. It’s really on the upper echelon industry-wide. For one, the app doesn’t even need any downloading from Apple or Android’s app stores. Just pull up XBet on your phone’s mobile browser and it works just like that. This simplicity can be seen throughout when betting on the go.

Xbet Texas

We do have to bring special attention to XBet’s live betting feature though. It works really, really well. In our experience, odds were quick to load in real-time, which is an absolute necessity. When locking in live bets, there were almost never any issues. Folks, this is how live betting should be — not laggy and error-prone.

At the moment, live betting can be had on the XBet app for major sports and leagues. That's your NFL, NBA, or MLB. Don't think you'll get in-play odds for more obscure sports like tennis or cricket, but hey, in time that could certainly happen. Most apps are like this, not just XBet, since those sports don't have enough betting interest to warrant the feature currently.

Something we really came to appreciate about the XBet app after spending some time mobile betting on there was the aesthetics. Hear us out, most betting apps look old. They work, but the design feels more 2014 than 2024. The opposite is true at XBet though. XBet really has one of the cleanest-looking app designs out there.

We recommend XBet for more trendy bettors. Given how ahead of the game XBet is on the visual and live betting front, chances are they'll be ahead of the curve on the next online gambling trend — whatever that may be. It's never a bad idea to play at a platform that stays cutting edge.

App Pros & Cons

  • Mobile app requires no extra downloads
  • Well-functioning live betting system
  • Could use more sports for live betting
  • Bonuses are pretty "vanilla"

Our Final Verdict: 9.3/10

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4. BetOnline

What sticks out most about BetOnline is its sportsbook quality. It’s superb in more ways than one. First and foremost, the sheer amount of sports bets available at BetOnline is something to marvel at. You’ll be hard-pressed to NOT find the sport or league you’re looking to get action on. The BetOnline app seemingly has it all on the table.

Betonline Texas

Even more, the odds are very well-priced. BetOnline routinely matches what the big-name Las Vegas sportsbooks are offering in terms of prices, and sometimes, even beating them out. This means sports bettors are maximizing value by using BetOnline and that means an awful lot.

When you have a sportsbook as loaded as BetOnline's, an easy issue to run into is a bad user experience. That is, all these bets just crowd the app's menus and design. However, the BetOnline completely sidesteps that problem. For us, it was super easy to use, and finding the bets we wanted action never became an issue once.

Specifically, placing bets inside the BetOnline app works like a charm. You would think that's a given at every betting app, but you'd be surprised to see how problematic it is at some places. Welp, BetOnline is not some places. Whether we're on a cellular or Wif-Fi connection, the app never errored out when locking in wagers.

Credit to BetOnline. They've created a betting experience that's a cut above the rest. This goes whether you're betting on a computer or mobile app — the experience follows you, the bettor, everywhere.

App Pros & Cons

  • Huge array of sports bets available year-round
  • Well-priced betting lines
  • App could use a visual makeover
  • Rarely has promotional contests worth playing for

Our Final Verdict: 9.1/10

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5. BetNow

BetNow is unique in its promotional offerings. It may not give out as much money as BetUS, but it does shower its users with promo options. For instance, there are four different welcome bonuses. Only one can be chosen, but just having those options alone is different than most competitors that have a one-size-fits-all approach.

Betnow Texas

But here’s where the BetNow app is truly one of a kind: it offers a sportsbook rebate of 2 percent on losses. Casino or racebook rebates are available just about everywhere, but from our experience, only BetNow offers a rebate on sports betting. For that, we have to give them props cause it’s a market differentiator.

You know how else BetNow differentiates themselves from competitors? A lightning-fast mobile app. Whenever we were thumbing around the app — whether it was in the sportsbook or casino — it was blazing quick. Pages loaded in seconds and lag was nonexistent.

This is especially important when live betting. We had the BetNow app pulled up at the local sports bar while watching a big game. And guess what? We saw the live betting odds for that matchup keep up extremely well with the real-time game. There's always a slight lag (due to broadcast and streaming delays), but BetNow's live odds were seemingly only seconds behind what we saw on the TV screen.

Keep an eye on BetNow. They've moved up the mobile betting app ranks pretty quickly and are on the right trajectory. In a few years, if they keep this pace, they could very well move up our own top-5 rankings of apps in Texas.

App Pros & Cons

  • Wide variety of bonuses available
  • Unique sportsbook rebate program
  • Casino game options are lacking
  • Live betting system can lag at times

Our Final Verdict: 9/10

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Legal Status Of Sports Betting Apps In Texas

If you know anything about Texas, then you know it’s very conservative. So much so that legal sports betting is a no-no — despite the state being deeply into sports. The few sports betting bills that floated around the Lone Star state went nowhere and we doubt anything gets traction soon. The South, which Texas is very much a part of, remains the biggest anti-betting crowd in the United States.

Thankfully, Texas bettors have alternatives though. These alternatives are offshore betting sites that don’t have to play by any local rules. The five apps we listed before are all offshore so Texas bettors could jump on these platforms and start sports betting right away. We’ve done it and trust us, they work just fine. As far as we can tell, Texas gambling apps will likely be reserved to these offshore ones only cause we don’t see anything getting legalized soon.

Which Texas Betting App Is The Best?

Bovada tops our list as the “best” Texas betting app. Best because it offers a little bit of everything — a deep sportsbook, a complimentary casino, simple bonuses, customer service, and we could keep going. All these features make it a one-stop shop for betting in a way.

Most of all though, it can be trusted. As we’ve said, Texas bettors can’t gamble freely due to state rules. To get betting action in the Lone Star State, they have to skirt the rules and go offshore. Bovada has carved out a name for itself as one of the most trusted and most-used offshore apps around. This helps alleviate any concerns bettors might have about not betting “legally.” Trust us, you’re good at Bovada.

Why Are BetMGM, Ceasars, Fanduel Betting Apps Not On Our List?

BetMGM, Caesars, FanDuel — those big-name sportsbooks can’t operate in Texas cause it’s illegal. Unlike offshore competitors, those three apps we mentioned are 100 percent regulated. Because of that, they have to play by U.S. laws in each state — or risk getting fined or outright banned from operating.

Offshore apps don’t have to play by the same rules. They are based out of foreign countries that fully allow gambling from Americans or others around the world. This lack of restrictions is the big draw of offshore apps, not only for Texans, but bettors elsewhere too.

Sports Betting Apps In Other States

We just gave you a rundown of the best sports betting app Texas has to offer. But what about other states? Welp, we’ve done the same thing. Here’s a directory of betting inside other U.S. states: