“The data surrounding legalized sports betting in Texas underscores the immense potential for increased tax revenue, job creation, and economic benefits, plus important consumer protections for Texans from risky, unregulated black markets and the personal freedoms enjoyed by the vast majority of Americans.”
Austin, TX – Texans made over 1.48 million attempts to log in to a legal sportsbook platform during the month of November, data from GeoComply, a geolocation fraud detection technology, reveals. The nearly 1.5 million attempts in November represent an increase from 1.15 million in October and 1.1 million in September – totaling almost 4 million attempts by Texans over the past 3 months to log in to a legal sports betting app. According to 2022 American Gaming Association estimates, $6 billion is wagered by Texans on illegal and unregulated online sports betting sites each year.
This comes as state and national leaders call for Texas legislators to legalize sports betting in the Lone Star State. Charlie Kirk, founder and CEO of Turning Point USA, posted on X Wednesday calling the decision for Texas to legalize sports betting a “no brainer,” citing the tax revenue and safety benefits it would provide.
A recent article in the Austin American-Statesman further emphasized that Texans are already betting unprotected if left to use unregulated betting apps and that Texas’ failure to legalize sports betting often forces residents to cross into other states where it is legal.
“For me, it’s not really a revenue issue, it’s a freedom and liberty issue,” State Rep. Jeff Leach told the Statesman. “Thirty-nine states have passed some form of legalized sports betting. Our data shows that this is rampant now in the state of Texas. A million sports bets were placed per year, totaling over $2 billion. And all of it is unregulated. It’s unsafe and extremely risky for everyone involved.”
“…it’s a real economic driver for Texas,” State Sen. Carol Alvarado told the Statesman. Sen. Alvarado on Nov. 12 filed Senate Joint Resolution 16, which would permit sports betting in Texas. “Go to (casino parking lots in) Louisiana and Oklahoma and a lot of the license plates are from Texas. So we know that it’s something that Texans enjoy and spend money on. And I think we ought to take that robust passion that Texans have, and do it here and benefit our economy,” Sen. Alvarado continued.
(Pictured: Heat Map of Online Searches for Sports Betting in November 2024 from GeoComply)
Texas is one of only 11 states where sports betting is not yet legal, and a recent economic impact study by Eilers & Krejcik, an independent research and consulting firm, revealed the substantial economic benefits Texas would reap by legalizing online sports betting, including a projected $363 million annually in direct tax revenue for the state and over $2.6 billion annually in economic output. The study also estimates a legal market would create approximately 8,000 direct and indirect jobs for Texans earning almost $580 million in annual wages.
“The data surrounding legalized sports betting in Texas underscores the immense potential for increased tax revenue, job creation, and economic benefits, plus important consumer protections for Texans from risky, unregulated black markets and the personal freedoms enjoyed by the vast majority of Americans. We’re urging the Texas Legislature to take action in January to let Texans play,” said Lauren Clay, spokesperson for the Texas Sports Betting Alliance.
About GeoComply:
GeoComply provides fraud prevention and cybersecurity solutions that detect location fraud and help verify a user’s true digital identity. Trusted by leading brands and regulators for the past 10 years, the company’s geolocation solutions are installed on over 200 million devices and analyze over a billion transactions every month.
GeoComply’s award-winning products are based on the technologies developed for the highly regulated and complex US online gaming and sports betting market. Beyond iGaming, GeoComply provides geolocation fraud detection solutions for streaming video broadcasters and the online banking, payments and cryptocurrency industries, building an impressive list of customers, including Akamai, Nextdoor, BBC, BetMGM, DraftKings, FanDuel, and Luno.
About the Sports Betting Alliance:
Sports Betting Alliance (SBA) members offer safe and legal online and retail sports betting to customers with critical safeguards in place to keep minors from betting. Our member companies only operate in the 38 states and additional jurisdictions where sports betting is legal, and our platforms actively work to ensure our products provide safe entertainment only for responsible adults.