Gambling & Gaming in Texas (2026)
18 rules on the books across Texas, 14 cities and counties. Select a rule to read the full details.
Severity: Few Restrictions · Light Restrictions · Some Restrictions · Significant Restrictions · Heavy Restrictions
Game Room Regulations
County and city regulation of game rooms and coin-operated amusement machines (eight-liners), including permits, location restrictions, hours of operation, and inspection rules.
Texas: statewide
StatewideSignificant RestrictionsTexas Local Government Code Chapter 234, Subchapter E lets any county's commissioners court license, zone, and inspect…
Read full rule →Fort Worth
Heavy RestrictionsFort Worth bans game rooms outright, city-wide. Section 23-22, adopted in October 2024, makes it a criminal offense to…
Read full rule →Waco
Heavy RestrictionsWaco outright bans game rooms: Section 13-72 makes it a crime to operate a game room anywhere in the city, in any…
Read full rule →Dallas
Significant RestrictionsDallas requires a police-issued license for any amusement center where coin-operated amusement devices occupy 25% or…
Read full rule →Farmersville
Significant RestrictionsFarmersville limits amusement redemption machine game rooms to the light-industrial (I-1) district with a specific use…
Read full rule →Houston
Significant RestrictionsHouston requires a city game room license before anyone opens a game room, defined as six or more amusement redemption…
Read full rule →Irving
Significant RestrictionsIrving licenses every coin-operated amusement machine business through the chief of police, splitting locations into…
Read full rule →Laredo
Significant RestrictionsLaredo licenses amusement redemption machine establishments, better known as game rooms, at $1,050 per machine…
Read full rule →Lubbock
Significant RestrictionsAny Lubbock business running six or more skill-or-pleasure coin-operated machines, or whose main business is running…
Read full rule →Austin
Some RestrictionsAustin doesn't license game rooms, but Chapter 4-13 imposes strict operating rules on any facility open to the public…
Read full rule →Killeen
Some RestrictionsKilleen requires anyone who owns, exhibits, or operates a coin-operated amusement machine, including eight-liner-style…
Read full rule →Pearland
Some RestrictionsPearland treats any arcade or game room with more than four coin-operated amusement machines or eight-liners as a…
Read full rule →Plano
Some RestrictionsPlano bars skill-or-pleasure coin-operated machines within 300 feet of any church, school or hospital, forbids student…
Read full rule →San Antonio
Some RestrictionsSan Antonio taxes and decals every skill, pleasure, or music coin-operated machine, the category covering eight-liner…
Read full rule →Taylor
Some RestrictionsTaylor taxes and licenses every skill or pleasure coin-operated machine, the broad category covering arcade, marble and…
Read full rule →Charitable Bingo and Raffles
Bingo, raffles, and games of chance run by charities, including states like New York where the games are lawful only in municipalities that have locally adopted the state licensing scheme.
Sports Betting Law
Who governs sports wagering, a state-licensed activity everywhere it is legal, so the rules live in state statute and gaming-commission regulations rather than city code.
Social Gambling Rules
Whether private, social card games are exempt from gambling prohibitions, a carve-out defined in state law, plus any local rules layered on top of it.
Texas: statewide
StatewideLight RestrictionsTexas Penal Code § 47.02(a) makes betting at cards, dice, or any game of chance a Class C misdemeanor. Section 47.02(b)…
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