The Jersey Gypsy Bets on Texas Sports Betting Sites

Written by:

Valentina Lopez

Fact checked by:

Rebeca Jimenez

Published:

December 30, 2024

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Table of Contents

Welcome to the Jersey Gypsy column, where our resident travel reporter, Valentina Lopez, roams the globe in pursuit of stories.

As part of her US travels, Valentina’s been in Texas, testing out the mantra that everything’s bigger in the Lone Star State. She spoke with locals and tried online sportsbooks they recommended. These were her top picks.

Texas Sports Betting Sites

I review these sites in more detail below, but if you want a full report on my trip to Texas, keep reading. 

By the way, while I was there, I’ve:

• Paid obligatory visit to the Texas State Capitol
• Engaged in the San Antonio River Walk
• Checked out the Big Bend National Park
• Took an off-world detour at the Space Center Houston

First, let me say that the rumors are true – everything really is bigger in Texas. The food, the stadiums, the sports fanaticism.

My view of the Texas State Capitol on a sunny Tuesday morning

So with that being the case, why is it so hard to place a wager out here?

Most of the top bookies from back home just don’t exist here, and that’s the case for their physical outlets, too. But come on — I was in Texas during football season. I couldn’t leave without making a few bets. That would be downright un-American.

Luckily for me, that friendly Texan spirit was on hand to tell me exactly where I could place a wager. As you might expect, people in Dallas have a lot of opinions about football, including the best places to bet on it.

And it’s true — all you have to do to strike up a conversation is to walk up to someone and say, “How ‘bout them Cowboys?”, and you’ll have a new best friend. It’s absolutely unreal.

After striking up a number of these conversations, I noticed a few sites that were being mentioned again and again: BetUS, one of the most established online bookies in the world, BetOnline, another heavy hitter, and BetWhale, a newcomer I wasn’t familiar with.

My Testing Process

I decided to try my luck at these recommendations and test out that famed southern hospitality. Here’s what I considered when reviewing each book:

• Odds quality
• Market variety
• Bonuses and promos
• Cashout experience

Luckily for me, there just happened to be a Cowboys game on Monday Night Football I could bet on, so I loaded up each site with about $100 in Bitcoin and got down to business.

First Texas Sports Betting Site Up: BetUS

• Pregame Line: Bengals -225, Cowboys +190
• Pregame Prop: Cooper Rush +1 Pass Interception  -141
• Hours Spent Testing: 1.5
• Bonus Claimed: 125% match up to $2,000
• Cashout Speed: 13 minutes

Another national sportsbook, BetUS has worked its way into the Texas market nicely. I had actually played here before, and I was happy to find that the experience was just as easy in the Lone Star State as it had been elsewhere.

Not only that, but it seems like all their bonuses are available to Texan bettors as well. It’s a full-fledged sportsbook — something I wasn’t sure I’d find down here.

What I Liked:

Everything is sleek and clean at BetUS, from the desktop layout to the mobile app. They’ve had 30 years to figure out what sports bettors like, and they put that info front and center so that it’s easy to find.

Live betting is handled with an especially deft touch. The odds update quickly and cleanly, without leaving you confused or bewildered. The interface is bright and well-spaced-out, so you can always see what you’re doing and misclicks are minimized.

Not only that, but they know how to take care of their customer base. While I had some issues with their welcome bonus (more on that in a sec), their reload bonuses and other ongoing offers are excellent, especially for crypto depositors.

What I Didn’t Like:

As you’ve probably figured out by now, I’m a stickler for functionality, and BetUS nearly gets full marks…except for one little thing.

They make you tick off checkboxes to show the odds you’re interested in on many of their pages. You can tick a box to choose all of them if you wish, but it’s just an odd intermediary step that seems largely pointless — it’s not like they’re saving paper or anything.

Also, the welcome bonus isn’t quite as juicy as it first appears. It’s still quite good — a 125% match up to $2,000 — but 25% of that is reserved for the casino, and the 14x rollover is on the high side for a sportsbook.

Runner up: BetWhale

• Pregame Line: Bengals -222, Cowboys +179
• Pregame Prop: N/A
• Hours Spent Testing: 2
• Bonus Claimed: 125% match up to $1,250
• Cashout Speed: 75 minutes

I’ll admit: BetWhale was a new sportsbook by me. I can’t say the name does much for me, but I had one gentleman in a Tony Romo jersey tell me I had to try it, so who am I to argue?

My first impression was that it was a bit generic — the graphics are of players in non-licensed apparel, for starters. However, there was something else that caught my eye quite a bit more than the knockoff jerseys.

Prominently displayed on the homepage is BetWhale’s $1,250 deposit bonus for new players, which is among the best I’ve ever seen for a sportsbook.

Hey, I’m all for saving money on player endorsements if it means they can pass those savings on to me.

What I Liked:

I’ve already mentioned the bonus, but it warrants mentioning again, especially as it’s one of the biggest selling points about the site.

Starting off with an extra 125% is a great way to pad your bankroll (especially if you plan on betting on the Cowboys this season…). Sites that are generous with bonus money always start out on the right foot with me.

Beyond that, I was also impressed with their focus on alternative lines. Instead of offering a standard point spread, they provide numerous alternative spreads with varying odds, giving you the flexibility to choose the level of risk you’re comfortable with.

What I Didn’t Like:

No pre-game props? What is this, the 90s? Seeing as so much of the hype and industry is run on pre-game player props these days, to see basically none listed at all was egregious to me.

The skin put me off a bit too. The obsession with dark these days makes sense from an aesthetics standpoint, but it doesn’t stand up great after a few tequilas in a dark Texas bar.

That may be a bit of a “get off my lawn!”-style objection, but you can only squint at your phone so many times before you start to get irritated.

The odds on the underdogs here tend to be shorter than I saw elsewhere as well. I got about the same price on the Bengals everywhere, but I found much better deals for betting on the ‘Boys at other sites.

Next On The List of Texas Sportsbooks: BetOnline

• Pregame Line: Bengals -227, Cowboys +197
• Pregame Prop: CeeDee Lamb Anytime TD +140
• Hours Spent Testing: 2
• Bonus Claimed: $250 in free bets
• Cashout Speed: 22 minutes

BetOnline has been around for 30 years, so I’m definitely familiar with the name. However, I was happily surprised to see that it’s available in Texas — I didn’t think you could play at any of the big sportsbooks here!

The site has full functionality in the state, meaning you can take advantage of their hundreds of markets, dozens of sports, and smooth live betting interface.

There’s not as many bells and whistles here as you may find at other modern sportsbooks, but it does the basics as well as anybody.

What I Liked:

It may sound like a little thing, but site navigation is a breeze here. That’s especially advantageous when live betting, as you can find what you need in seconds, without wasting precious time scrolling or clicking useless buttons.

The prop builder tool is a ton of fun, too (especially compared to BetWhale, which didn’t offer props at all). There are regular odds boosts, as well as dedicated sections for mega parlays and same-game parlays, if straight bets don’t do it for you anymore.

The odds here are good, but about on par with what I saw at BetUS. What really impresses is the bet variety, as they allow you to wager on everything under the sun — especially when it comes to football.

What I Didn’t Like:

It’s easy to click the wrong box when you’re also holding a beer and eating nachos.

While I was generally a fan of the layout and betting interface, there is a slight issue I’d like to point out. Basically, the boxes on the live betting page are very small, and they actually disappear for a brief second whenever the odds are updated.

This may seem like an inconsequential thing, but sometimes it can create misclicks if the tiny little box you wanted to click disappears, causing you to click on something else instead.

Also, the welcome bonus is one of the smallest I’ve seen. They’re clearly counting on their stellar reputation to be enough to drive signups, rather than having to offer huge bounties to prospective players.

Check out BetOnline for yourself.

My Verdict: Comparing Texas Sportsbooks

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Texans have plenty of good options when it comes to betting online. For some reason, I had always thought they were left out in the cold, with only shady bookies to turn to.

However, all three sites I tried were excellent options, and definitely worth exploring if you like betting on games. Here’s how I’d rank them in more detail:

Best Betting Interface: BetOnline

Everything is clean and simple at BetOnline, which is essential to a positive betting experience.

The last thing you want to deal with when you’re trying to track constantly-updating odds and live game action is a bunch of clutter, and BetOnline gets rid of all the junk. All you see is the most relevant, up-to-date lines they offer.

BetUS also scored highly in this metric, as they also have a clean, easy-to-read interface. BetWhale would come in third by my standards, as I felt their site was a bit too dark and often required too many unnecessary clicks.

Best Bonus: BetWhale

This one was a toss-up between BetWhale and BetUS, to be honest. BetUS technically has the larger bonus ($2,000 vs $1,250), but when you dig a little deeper, you find that it’s not quite as juicy as it first appears.

For one thing, it’s billed as a 125% bonus, but 25% of that is reserved for the casino — useless for pure sports bettors. Also, the wagering requirements are higher, so you’ll have a harder time earning it than the BetWhale offer.

You can’t really go wrong with either bonus; they’ll both offer lots of padding to your bankroll.

BetOnline brings up the rear here, as they only offer $250 in free bets to new players.

Best Live Betting Experience: BetUS

Same-game parlays are the biggest thing going in sports betting right now, and no site makes it easier to bet them than BetUS.

You can add them to your ticket with just a few clicks, without losing track of anything else you were monitoring. It’s completely seamless, allowing you to take advantage of juicy odds before they change.

BetOnline also has an excellent live betting function, although it’s a little jarring when the odds update. You get used to it, but it never goes away completely.

Best Overall: BetUS

This award is more of a testament to how good BetUS is rather than an indictment of the other two sites.

BetUS has been in business for a long time, and it shows. They do all the little things right, from offering sleek functionality to providing hundreds of odds on sports around the globe.

They’ve also kept abreast of changes in the industry while staying true to their old-school roots. As same-game parlays and other live bets have become incredibly popular, they’ve ensured that making those bets is as easy as possible.

Again, this is not a dig at BetOnline or BetWhale, which are two excellent books in their own right. You could compare those two sites to Peyton Manning and Drew Brees — two first-ballot Hall of Famers that deserve every accolade they get.

It just so happens that BetUS is Tom Brady, though. You’ll be waiting a long time if you expect it to make a misstep.

Diving Into the Data: How Texas Online Sportsbooks Compare

I always try to provide some of the data behind my decisions, so that readers can rely on more than just my opinions. Below, I’ve included some of the data from my time exploring these sportsbooks.

Betting Markets

In terms of sports you can bet on, the options are pretty much limitless at all three sites. You can focus on domestic sports if you like — they’re all great for NFL betting, for instance — but they also have tons of markets for international sports as well.

Where the sites differ is in the types of bets they offer. The lack of props at BetWhale is a huge negative in my opinion, although they do make up for it a bit with all the alt lines they offer.

Speaking of alternative lines, BetUS has a few more options in that regard than BetOnline, which gives them the edge here. Beyond that, both sites are pretty similar in terms of what you can expect.

Bonuses

This is a tale of two different bonus types. If you’re just looking at the welcome bonus, then I’d recommend BetWhale — while their offer isn’t as big as BetUS’s, it’s easier to earn, making it a better deal in my opinion.

BetOnline has the weakest welcome bonus by far, with only $250 in free bets on the table.

Once you become an established player, though, things change a bit. BetUS has regular reload offers for crypto users, while BetWhale will drop the occasional free bet in your inbox. BetOnline, again, doesn’t offer you much in this regard.

They make up for it a bit with their VIP program, which gives you perks like prioritized withdrawals and the occasional bonus. BetWhale doesn’t have a loyalty program at this point, so they suffer in the comparison here.

Cashout Options

The hardest thing about betting on sports in Texas is getting your money off the site. You can deposit at all these bookies with a major credit card, but you can’t withdraw back to your Visa or MasterCard. You’ll have to find another way.

I recommend cryptocurrency for this purpose (I used Bitcoin for this experiment). Not only can you cash out in minutes with it, but many sites also give you special bonuses or other offers if you use it.

BetWhale and BetOnline have more options across the board, including in terms of e-wallets, but BetUS still hits all the high spots.

New to Online Sports Betting in Texas? My Advice

Sports betting in Texas is picking up steam, but there are still quite a few fans who don’t realize how many options they have available to them. If you’re just looking to dip your toe into the online waters, here’s what I would recommend newbies doing:

Line Shopping is Key

If there’s one thing that winning sports bettors know, it’s the importance of line shopping. Finding an extra point on the Cowboys here or a better deal on a Luka prop there can make the difference between a break-even player and a winner.

The good news is that shopping around is easier than ever. You can find a brand new set of odds simply by clicking over to a different site — no need to get in your car or make any calls.

With that in mind, you should never have an account at just one site, or accept the first odds you see.

Stick to What You Know

There are so many options at online sportsbooks, you can easily fall into the trap of trying to bet on everything you see. Premier League soccer, Mongolian table tennis, Australian Rules Football — it’s all action, right?

Trust me, I know all about this trap; sticking to what you know is like going to an all-you-can-eat buffet and limiting yourself to baked chicken and salad.

While betting on new sports can be fun, it’s also a good way to get yourself into trouble. It’s much smarter to stick to sports (and teams) that you’re familiar with.

If you’re the biggest Rangers fan in the world, you’ll have better insight into the lines and props than casual bettors will — and that will make it easier for you to spot a juicy price.

However, if you know nothing about international soccer, how will you have any idea where the true value lies?

Usability is Incredibly Important

Online sports betting is incredibly fast-paced, so you need to find a site that’s easy for you to use. When you’re trying to get bets down at lightning speed before the odds change, you don’t want to have to deal with unnecessary clicks or hard-to-read interfaces.

That’s especially true on your phone. Check out any site you’re considering before you put any money down. If the mobile app has buttons that are too small to click, for example, you want to know that before you have any action at risk.

This is a very important thing to consider, but it’s also very personal. Check around and find the interface that works best for you. What I like might be different from what you prefer, so take anyone else’s recommendations with a grain of salt.

Basic Info About Texas Online Sports Betting

The online sports betting world may feel like uncharted territory, but the good news is that Texans know a thing or two about living in the Wild West.

If you’re just getting started, here’s what you need to know.

It’s Totally Legit

I can’t tell you the number of people I spoke to who thought that online sports betting was shady, and then in the next breath they say they get bets down with a bookie they know.

Excuse me?

That’s absolutely insane to me. Modern sportsbooks are big businesses, and they offer players a ton of protection you can’t get anywhere else. From strict licensing requirements to regular audits, there are all sorts of protections in place to keep bettors from getting fleeced.

Good luck getting any of that from “that one guy you know.”

Take Advantage of Those Bonuses

The battle among online sportsbooks for new players is fierce, and that’s good news for you.

It means that these sites will offer all sorts of incentives to get you to sign up, including free bets, deposit matches, and who knows what else.

These offers can go a long way towards padding your bankroll if you use them wisely, so take advantage of them when you can. Be sure to check your inbox regularly too, because many sites will send out flash deals to regular players as well.

I mean, they’re offering you free money. It would be rude not to take it.

Mix Things Up a Bit

The internet is a great place to try new things (get your mind out of the gutter). This is true for sports betting as well.

You may have never done a 10-leg parlay or a round robin bet. The idea of a same-game parlay might be completely foreign to you. Betting on next year’s Super Bowl winner may seem insane.

Yet these are all things you can do at online sportsbooks. I’ll be completely honest and say that many of these bets aren’t likely to be profitable, but they’re oh so much fun.

Feel free to experiment and bet on new things in new ways. I wouldn’t make it the backbone of your wagering strategy, but do remember that all of this is supposed to be fun.

It’s ok to bet a few bucks here and there simply because it makes you happy.

My Final Thoughts About Texas Online Sports Betting

After spending some time in Texas, I can honestly say that the love of sports runs deeper here than it does almost anywhere else (and by “sports,” yes, I mean “football”).

You can’t go anywhere without someone having a strong opinion on the Cover 2 defense or what Jerry Jones should do in the offseason. And I mean everyone has an opinion — including that sweet old grandma who loves to talk about Roger Staubach.

It’s only natural that these sports-crazed superfans would have opinions about online sportsbooks, and the sites they recommended were all winners in my book. If I had to pick just one, it would probably be BetUS, but BetWhale and BetOnline are all great in their own right as well.

No matter what kinds of bets you like to make, you’ll find them at one of those three sites. Plus, they’re all safe, easy to use, and quick to payout, making them 3-for-3 in my book.

I may not be able to promise that the Cowboys will ever be good again, but at the very least you can profit off their misery at these bookies.

FAQs About Texas Sportsbooks

While many Texans I spoke to were well aware of online sports betting and their options, I also spoke to several who had no idea. They inevitably asked one of these questions during our conversations:

Can You Bet On Sports in Texas?

Yes, you can bet on sports if you live in Texas. You have a ton of options, in fact, but I recommend the three sites I reviewed above.

What is the Best Sportsbook for Texas Players?

My favorite Texas sportsbook is BetUS. It’s been around for decades, and they have sports betting down to a science (plus they have pretty sweet bonuses for new players).

Are Online Sportsbooks Safe?

For the most part, yes, online sportsbooks are safe. The ones I outlined above have sterling reputations, as do a few others (Bovada and Sportsbetting.ag come to mind), so I would stick to those.

What Kinds of Bets Can I Make at Texas Online Sportsbooks?

You can make all kinds of bets, including spreads, parlays, futures, and more. Basically, if you can bet on it, they’ll take your action at an online sportsbook.

What Payment Methods Can You Use at Texas Sportsbooks?

You can fund your account with major credit cards and e-wallets, but withdrawing is a different story. I recommend using cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, as they make it quick and easy to both deposit and withdraw.

Can I Bet On Sports on My Phone?

Yes, virtually every modern online sportsbook will be optimized for mobile use. Feel free to bet on your phone while you’re watching the game (even if you’re at the game).

Got a suggestion for which US state Valentina should travel to next, or what she should do on her adventures? Reach out to her at [email protected] — she’s always looking for something new to try!