Best Texas Online Casinos

There’s nothing more frustrating than trying to figure out where and what the best online casinos are. For those residing in Texas, online gambling may be fairly new to you but our experts are here to help guide you to your dream casino.

As well as revealing the array of online casino options available, we’ll take you through what to look for when choosing a casino that suits you. However, first of all, it’s essential to understand the gambling laws of Texas.

Gambling in Texas

The laws in Texas are strict, but not as severe as Utah and Hawaii, because not everything is banned. There are currently two physical casinos where residents can gamble, in the lone star state.

There’s also the state lottery, dog racing, horse racing, bingo, social gambling, and charitable gambling available to residents.

Physical Casinos

Texas doesn’t allow physical casinos to operate, but the two mentioned above are on tribal land, so these fall outside of Texas law.

There used to be a third casino – Speaking Rock Casino, but that was shut down in 2002 and was only allowed to reopen in 2016 as an entertainment center, with no gambling permitted.

Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino Hotel

This casino opened its doors in 1996 and is operational 24/7, offering casino facilities and two bars, 249 hotel rooms, as well as four restaurants.

The casino space is huge and has over 3,300 slot machines and a private poker room. Bingo enthusiasts can get their kicks every Wednesday and weekend. Unfortunately, no table games are available. 

Naskila Gaming

This casino is newer, having opened its doors in 2016, but is noticeably smaller than Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino Hotel. There are 800 machines on the gaming floor, which also run 24/7. The types of games on offer include poker, slots, and bingo. There’s also a private poker room and a VIP lounge for certain players to enjoy.

State Lottery

It took Texas 12 years to legalize the lottery, which has become its largest revenue creator. There are three types on offer for residents:

1. Multi jurisdiction lotteries – Powerball and Mega Millions.
2. State only lotteries – Texas Triple Chance, All or Nothing, Lotto Texas, Daily 4, Texas Two Step, Pick 3, and Cash Five.
3. Scratch-off tickets.

Dog Racing

There are three greyhound racing tracks – Valley Race Park in Harlingen, Gulf Coast Racing in Corpus Christi, and Gulf Greyhound Park in LaMarque.

Horse Racing

Horse racing is incredibly popular, as there are three Class 1 tracks to choose from, one near each of the most populated places – San Antonia, Dallas, and Houston. All betting must be done by being physically present at the racecourse.

Bingo

For now, Bingo is only allowed if it’s charitable bingo.

Social Gambling

Social gambling is allowed as long as no money or prizes are involved and must be at your residence. The local authorities regularly raid poker clubs.

Charitable Gambling

This form of gambling is highly regulated and can only be run if the organizations running them meet the following criteria:

• Non Profit organizations that have been around for three years and over and have a   501(c) tax-exempt qualification.
• Qualified volunteer fire departments that do everything regular fire departments do but pay their members a small compensation for their services, if at all.
• Any qualified religious society that has been in operation in Texas for a minimum of 10 years.
• Qualified volunteer emergency medical services that only pay members a minimal fee for doing everything a regular medical service team does.

Even with all those qualifications and rules, these organizations can run only two raffles per year without cash prizes. Charitable bingo can also be run, but a special license from the State Lottery Commission is required.

Gambling Age Limit

You can only use an online casino if you are 21 and older to gamble and or participate in horse racing, but you only need to be 18 to play the lottery and bingo.

Gambling Tax

You can expect to be taxed 24% of your winnings for all legal gambling. Any winnings that exceed $5,000 go into income tax withholding. This means that the gambling provider is now responsible for the taxes.

Offshore Online Casinos

With all the rules and regulations in place, it’s no wonder that Texas residents have turned to online gambling elsewhere.

The law states that online casinos are illegal if they operate within Texas. That illegal gambling counts as a demeanor. The anti-gambling rules are for the operation and ownership of land-based casinos, so offshore online casinos fall into a gray area because these are not mentioned.

Technically, there isn’t any Texas law preventing real money betting on a site as long as it’s offshore. No one has been prosecuted in Texas for using an offshore online casino because the lawmakers don’t have any jurisdiction.

The Criteria for a Top Texas Offshore Casino

The popularity of these casinos has grown over the years, but with so many to choose from, we understand this task can be rather daunting. We have provided a few tips to help you with your research to find the best online offshore casino to suit your needs.

Fast Payouts

The last thing you want is to wait for ages to receive your winnings, so look for offshore online casinos with fast payout options.

Mobile Compatibility

Having the ability to play your favorite casino games online anywhere via your mobile is a must. Look for sites that offer this feature because it is a better gaming experience to play through an app rather than using your phone’s browser.

There’s a reason that a site is made mobile compatible. It allows you to experience playing your games with ease and not be stuck at home using your computer every time you want to place a bet.

Limits

Even if you are not budget-conscious, betting limits can add up, so look for sites that offer either the lowest or reasonable betting limits, to help you stay in control of your spending.

Security

You want to access and use a site where your data will be safe and secure. All the connections must use a secure socket layer (SSL) encryption as a standard.

VIP Programs

VIP programs are excellent for rewarding players and keeping them on a particular site. Loyal players that join a VIP program earn points every time a bet is placed. The points can be used in exchange for prizes, cash, or even bonuses.

Game Variety

It’s essential to find an online casino that has a variety of games to choose from so that you always have options should a particular game become dull. Popular options such as blackjack and roulette are essentials.

You can also create accounts with more than one casino to increase the number of games at your disposal.

Trustworthiness

Search for casinos that have been established for a while and have a good track record.

Bonuses

Bonuses make your gameplay even more enjoyable because they reward you for joining or your loyalty. Every top online casino in Texas offers a variety of bonuses. Look for a casino that has a few of the most common types:

• Refer-a-friend types of rewards
• Free spins
• Welcome bonuses
• Reload bonuses
• Frequent and regular promotions

Free Spins

Free spins are offered to entice players to play specific slot games and can either form part of the casino’s welcome bonus or be a stand-alone bonus.

This type of bonus is used mainly by new players and is a good way to get you started with online play because it only requires a minimum deposit to qualify.

Match Deposit Promotions

This type of bonus occurs when you make your first deposit and have the highest offer. Slots is the only game restricted from using this type of bonus.

Matched deposit promotions are aimed at players who aren’t high rollers but can deposit more than the average player. The percentages are different per site, but you can expect top limits between $5,000 and $1,500. Match percentages vary from 150% to as high as 300%.

No Deposit Bonuses

No deposit bonuses are a type of free spin bonus that’s rarely seen at most online casinos. The very best sites offer this bonus type by rotating the slot games that apply.

Banking Options

Most offshore online casinos accept Mastercard and Visa cards as well as cryptocurrencies such as Litecoin, Ethereum, and Bitcoin. You might also get extra rewards for using specific cryptocurrencies like Ethereum and Bitcoin.

VIP Tables

If you are a high-roller, you’ll want the ability to increase your betting limits. Look for casinos that offer this, which may come in the form of a loyalty program.

Developers

Knowing the best software developers for online casinos is the key to finding the best casinos. The better the developer, the better the games, the better the casino.

Terms and Conditions 

Even though several types of bonuses are offered, it’s important to know the criteria. We have listed the common phrases you’ll find in every offshore online casino’s terms and conditions to help you understand the jargon.

Deposit Minimums

Some online casinos only provide bonuses to players that deposit more than a particular amount. Before playing, make sure you read the terms and conditions to know exactly what that amount is to avoid missing out.

Percentage of Contributions

These differ per site, but generally, blackjack contributes the least towards meeting wagering requirements, and slots provide the most. Games with a lower return to player (RTP) contribute the highest so keep a lookout for those.

Wagering

You can’t just withdraw your bonus; you’ll need to use it to play several times first, and the casino will state what that number is in the terms and conditions. The wagering requirement is generally between 25 to 35 times the total value of your initial bonus plus your bonus.

Expiry

Be wary of bonuses that have expiry dates. This is rare with the top sites but it’s still worth reading the terms and conditions, just in case you miss out on the free money. The last thing you want is to be counting on a bonus only to notice it’s no longer valid.

Online Games

With so many games to choose from, you are guaranteed to find your favorites at a good Texas online casino.

Games with Themes

These are games based on pop culture such as video games, TV shows, movies, series, and even sports leagues. Only the most popular make the cut at the best sites, so you won’t find a wide variety of these types of games.

Poker

The following types of poker games can be found:

• Double Bonus Poker
• Bonus Deuces
• 7 Stud Poker
• Bonus Poker Deluxe
• Deuces Wild
• Ace & Eights
• Bonus Poker

Slots

The best Texas online casinos have at least 150 different types of slot games which include all the favorites. Some sites also have progressive jackpot slots, which allow for sharing prizes across other casinos and slot games.

Baccarat

Baccarat might be challenging to spot because some sites have it listed in a Specialities category while others have it listed under Table Games.

Roulette

You’ll find three versions of this popular game – French, European and American. RTPs range between 97.3 % to as high as 98.65%.

Getting Started at An Online Texas Casino

It’s simple to get started, and we’ve included all the steps you can expect to follow:

1. Choose an offshore online casino and go to the webpage.
2. Open an account by clicking on the Sign-up button.
3. Fill in the information requested.

You’ll be asked to provide details like your name, username, date of birth, full address, phone number, email, and password. It’s vital that your information is accurate because you’ll need to verify your details before you can withdraw any winnings.

4. Confirmation email.

Once you submit everything, you’ll receive an email with an activation link. Click it, and you’ll be taken to the casino’s webpage.

5. Deposit

Add funds to your account by following the instructions provided.

6. Claim any welcome and special bonus offered.
7. As soon as the deposit reflects on your account, you can start playing.

Conclusion

There are several options in Texas, but it can be confusing to look up the rules for each one so that you’re not doing something illegal. However, we hope our guide has been helpful and pointed you in the right direction, to understand what to look out for.

It’s best to use an offshore online casino for all your gambling needs because it’s less hassle, you can play anywhere, and you’re very much spoilt for choice.