CASINOS LOCATED IN TEXAS

TEXAS GAMBLING CRUISES

One way that casino operators have tried to use to get around the legal hurdles of opening a casino in Texas is to create casino cruises that have gaming equipment on board. The ship sails into international waters in the Gulf of Mexico, where there are no laws to regulate gambling. There are some Texas laws about when and how a ship with gaming machines can dock in a Texas port. Generally, the ship needs to have docked at a foreign port before the port in Texas. So some ships sailed to a port in Mexico, docked briefly, and then sailed back to Texas.

The stint of time in international waters allowed the "tourists" time to play. Several different attempts have been made to start casino cruises in Texas, but so far, all of them have ended up failing for business reasons or moving to other states along the Gulf of Mexico. At this the time of this writing there were no active gambling cruises operating in Texas, which is another reason that players are turning to the online gambling venue for access to this type of entertainment when traveling is not practical or possible. You can learn ore about this segment of the Texas gambling industry in our article about Texas gambling boats. The online casinos are offering the same types of games, including:

• Slots
• Blackjack
• Roulette
• Live Dealer Games

PARI-MUTUEL GAMBLING IN TEXAS

Texas has a turbulent history with betting on horse and greyhound racing, which is also called pari-mutuel betting. It was legal for the mid 1930s, but then in 1937 the state outlawed the practice. A long campaign of referenda and legislation failed to make pari-mutuel betting legal again until 1987. Contemporary pari-mutuel wagering is regulated by a system of tiered licenses that govern how many race days an establishment can have per year.

Currently, there are three horse tracks with unlimited licenses: Lone State Park, Retama Park, and Sam Houston Race Park. There is one other horse racing license operating in the state- a class 3 license for the Gillespie County Fair. It has a legal maximum of 16 racing days annually. The state laws permit other kinds of licenses, but no businesses or non-profit groups currently hold any other horse racing licenses, aside from the four mentioned previously.

As for greyhound racing, the industry has fallen on hard times. There are three tracks licensed to race year round- Gulf Coast Racing, Gulf Greyhound Park, and Valley Race Park. However, Gulf Greyhound Park is the only track that runs live races daily. The other two simply simulcast the races from Gulf Greyhound Park, which has been legal since 1991.

TEXAS GAMING ROOMS

Gaming rooms or game rooms that have machines called "eight liners" present Texas players with an alternative to the big casino experience. Eight liners by law can only offer non-cash prizes, and the prizes should be worth less than $5. Of course, enforcement of that law is intermittent at best, so these quasi-legal game rooms continue to operate as shadow casinos on the margin of the law. Their original claim to legality is based on a legal definition of carnival games at county fairs, which innovators then applied to gaming machines separate from fairs.

FEW OPTIONS

With only one legal Indian casino left in Texas and an unfriendly legal environment for gaming, Texas is a difficult place for gamblers to enjoy their hobby. Casino cruises are rarely available, so the only option for a physical casino trip might be to travel out of state. Alternatively, Texan gamblers can branch out into the world of online gambling through legally licensed and regulated online casinos accepting Texas players, such as the destinations featured in this guide. If you'd like to learn more about the legality of enjoying Texas online casino gambling, check out our page covering Texas gambling laws.