With Missouri's launch in December 2025, around 39 states plus Washington, DC have legal sports betting in some form. But the two most populous states — Texas and California — remain on the sidelines, and October 2026 updates suggest that won't change soon.[1][2]
Texas: unlikely before 2028
Sports betting in Texas requires a constitutional amendment, which needs supermajorities in both chambers of the legislature before going to voters. Efforts backed by sportsbooks and the Las Vegas Sands casino group have repeatedly stalled in the Senate. CBS Sports reported in October 2026 that legal betting isn't expected until at least 2028, with only a slim chance in 2027.[1] The reason is the calendar: the legislature meets in odd-numbered years, so the earliest step would be the 2027 session approving a constitutional amendment, which voters would then have to pass. That's an editorial forecast based on the process, not a fixed date.
California: no 2026 ballot measure
In 2022, Californians rejected two sports betting propositions by large margins after the most expensive ballot campaign in US history. There's no qualified measure on the 2026 ballot, and the powerful tribal gaming nations remain wary of online betting run by commercial operators. Meanwhile, the state attorney general has called daily fantasy sports illegal, while the governor disagrees.[2]
What it means for you
If you live in Texas or California, avoid offshore sportsbooks: they're unlicensed, and you'd have no protection if a payout goes wrong. Federally regulated alternatives are explained in sports event contracts and prediction markets vs sportsbooks. For the bigger history, read how sports betting was legalised state by state.
