In the Lone Star State, regular readers of this space are aware that sports betting is a contested topic, and some national powers are still pushing the envelope. According to a recent article, never far from the headlines, prediction market giant Kalshi is in the spotlight once again. This time, having just launched a bold ad campaign targeting sports bettors in states where online sportsbooks are prohibited, including Texas. Eagle-eyed sports bettors across the country will have spotted Kalshi pouring money into Meta’s Facebook and Instagram platforms. This time, promising players the opportunity to effectively wager on NFL games, traded under the regulatory oversight of the CFTC. Mirroring its competitors, Polymarket and more recently Underdog, Kalshi is looking to cash in on states where popular sportsbooks, including DraftKings and FanDuel, are unable to operate.
For this article, SBS will be going over the latest gaming news coming from the Lone Star State, along with some additional updates and notes coming from the region, and more.
Noted in the article, indeed, beyond the lucrative Californian and Texan markets, Kalshi has also been targeting Georgia, Minnesota, and Washington, as well as already-legal states like Florida and Ohio. Despite pushing out its “Breaking News” formatted ads, Kalshi is still attracting the ire of states that attest that sports event contracts are simply replicating traditional online sportsbooks. In fact, earlier this month, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell filed a lawsuit in Suffolk County Superior Court asking the court to block Kalshi from operating what she calls an “illegal sports betting platform.” The Massachusetts AG’s complaint centers around Kalshi’s acceptance of more than $1 billion in unlicensed sports wagers in the first half of 2025, with over 75% of the platform’s action tied to sporting events.
Campbell’s office argues that Kalshi design also mimics a digital casino and comes complete with parlay products and behavioral psychology tricks borrowed from gambling platforms. The suit also noted that the firm draws a larger percentage of its money from sports betting than either DraftKings or FanDuel, highlighting the scale of the platform’s reach within the region.
While Kalshi is racking up legal battles in other states, including Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, and tribal courts in California and Wisconsin, the firm’s prominent trading volume tells a different story. Perhaps driven by the ethos that any news is good news, Kalshi’s September trading volume eclipsed all other event market platforms, surging to $1.3 billion. This surpassed its closest rival, Polymarket, which amassed just $773 million. You cannot blame Kalshi for celebrating as September’s results mark a huge turn of events, particularly given that the firm held just 3% of global prediction market share a year ago, but now commands more than 62%.
That being said, Kalshi’s success and the growth of the events contract market in general appear to directly contrast the fate of online sweepstakes casinos, which have not had a CFTC wildcard to fall back on. Already banned in a number of states, including Nevada and New Jersey, California, too, is now only a signature away from passing an outright sweepstakes casino.
For Lone Star State gaming enthusiasts, the prospect of widespread gaming in the region is a contested one. In the past, national gaming powers like the Sands Corporation and FanDuel or DraftKings have all tried to vie for some kind of broad sports betting legalization in the state. Now, with another outlet like Kalshi aiming to make this a reality, whether it is legalized or not, citizens need to be more aware now more than ever of what gaming laws look like where they live. Additionally, with more gaming rooms and other establishments being busted across the region, there are a variety of activities that regulators and other parties are aware of in the region.
Texas gaming is certainly a market that is coveted by national gaming powers because of the promise the region brings to potential revenue markets and other upside value there. Indeed, more and more national companies have poured money, whether it be advertising dollars or lobbyist money, into the state to try to encourage politicians to open up the floodgates. Even so, there are still multiple ways that these companies operate in the grey area of gaming in the state, as they do in other areas of the country. An ongoing dilemma for regulators in the United States, this saga continues to take more twists and turns for the public and the media.
After you are all up to speed in relation to the latest gambling notes coming from Texas, make sure to check out the excellent array of information for you at SBS. Of course, for even more analysis from the state covered in this report, make sure to peruse the sports betting in Texas guide, which goes over all of the latest news coming from Texas. Conversely, for those interested and eligible, the BetOnline sportsbook review breakdown is a must-read page that goes over all of the latest updates coming from the outlet. Additionally, the best bonus betting sites rundown is a must-read page that covers all kinds of excellent information for eligible customers. On this page, you can learn more about these perks along with a catalogue of the latest bonus offers.
About the Author
Chris Boline is a Reno-based business development professional and freelance sports writer with over a decade of experience covering the NBA G League, Los Angeles Chargers, and national football and basketball. His expertise spans the NFL, NBA, UFC, boxing, golf, and motorsports, along with topical news, marketing, and promotional content. A proud University of Nevada graduate, Chris earned both his BS in Management & Economics (2015) and MBA (2023). He is active in the Reno community, serving on boards such as the Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, NCET, and the College of Business Alumni Association, where he was past president (2022–23). Notable honors include: - Two-time University of Nevada Alumni Chapter of the Year honoree (2017, 2021) - 2021 NCET Professional Services Organization of the Year (with TAC) - 2016–17 Reno Bighorns MVP, awarded by the Sacramento Kings - Nevada Press Association Award for Best Sports Column (2015) - Former Editor-in-Chief of The Nevada Sagebrush Chris blends his passion for sports with a strong background in sales, marketing, and community engagement.
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