Introduction

Texas sports fans bring an energy to professional basketball that’s hard to match, yet there’s still no state-licensed online sportsbook you can fire up on your phone. The good news is, that doesn’t mean you’re stuck on the sidelines. Texans still have several legit ways to put their basketball instincts to work through prediction markets, fantasy contests, and sweepstakes-style platforms that operate within state rules.

In this guide, we break down five platforms available in Texas, what makes each one unique, and how they stack up in terms of legality, market depth, pricing, and overall user experience. If you’re planning to make an entry or place a trade, be sure to review each app’s terms, since availability and rules can shift depending on the state and the type of product they offer.

Quick comparison

How we ranked these platforms

• Fairness and fees: How pricing, vig, and commissions affect your results over time.
• Pro basketball market depth: Variety of lines, props, and futures related to pro basketball.
• Experience and trust: App design, reliability, clear rules, and consistent payouts.
• Innovation and access: How creative each format feels and how easy it is for people in Texas to use it.

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🏆 Top Pick: Novig

Novig is a prediction market where you trade directly against other users instead of betting against a house sports book. There is no traditional sports book margin and no commission on winning trades, so when you find an edge, more of it can stay in your account. That matters if you like to trade often on spreads, totals, or alternate versions of those lines.

Pro basketball experience and features

• Core markets such as spreads, totals, and moneylines, plus a wide menu of props and futures.
• In some cases, user created markets that let you express specific reads when the standard menu feels too narrow.
• An interface that feels closer to a trading platform, with clear visibility into both sides of each price.

Novig is the best fit on this list for people who think like traders, want to place and adjust positions around game time, and care a lot about avoiding extra fees.

2) PrizePicks

PrizePicks uses player statistics as the basis for entries. You choose a small group of pro basketball players, predict whether each one will finish with more or less than a listed number, and submit that card into a contest with a clear payout table.

Pro basketball experience and features

• Simple grid of player names with projections for points, rebounds, assists, turnovers, and more.
• Ability to mix players from different teams and games on the same entry, which encourages creative combinations.
• Transparent minimum and maximum payout tables, so you understand the risk and reward before you lock an entry.

3) Underdog

Underdog focuses on fantasy contests. For people in Texas, the main value comes from best ball contests, daily drafts, and peer to peer formats that use pro basketball stat lines as the scoring engine.

Pro basketball experience and features

• Draft based contests where you build a portfolio of players for a full season or for a single slate.
• Pick style entries where you choose whether player statistics finish higher or lower than a posted projection, within contest rules.
• A clean mobile experience that makes it easy to build entries and follow results in real time.

4) Fliff

Fliff presents itself as a social sportsbook that looks very similar to a regular odds board. The difference is that the product works as a sweepstakes, with two balances. One balance is meant for free play, and the other balance can be redeemed for cash or prizes under company rules.

Pro basketball experience and features

• Point spreads, totals, and moneylines for many pro basketball games.
• Player props and multi leg entries that feel similar to parlays, all inside a familiar scrolling odds board.
• Ongoing missions, rewards, and boosts that keep the experience social and casual.

5) Sleeper

Sleeper combines long running fantasy leagues with faster daily contests and pick style games. It also includes chat and community features, so many users treat it as a hub for pro basketball discussion as well as entries.

Pro basketball experience and features

• Tools for commissioner style season long leagues with drafts, trades, and league chat.
• Daily draft formats that let you join small lobby drafts for a single slate of games.
• Pick style games where you choose whether players will finish above or below a listed stat projection.

Final takeaway

For people in Texas who want to trade or speculate on pro basketball outcomes:

• Novig is the starting point if you care most about efficient pricing and a trading style interface with no commissions on winning positions.
• Fliff works well if you prefer a social sweepstakes product that looks and feels very similar to a regular sports book board.
• Underdog and PrizePicks are ideal for quick entries built around player statistics, using fantasy and peer contest structures.
• Sleeper is the social hub choice, with leagues, chat, and daily contests that layer nicely on top of your regular pro basketball viewing.

No matter which app you choose, set a clear budget, track your results, and treat every entry as paid entertainment rather than a reliable source of profit.

FAQ

Is traditional online sportsbook betting legal in Texas?

In 2025, there is no traditional online sports book that is licensed in Texas. People in Texas can use fantasy contests, sweepstakes products, and prediction markets (like Novig), but they cannot sign up for a state regulated mobile book in the same way that people in some other states can.

Can I use these apps if I travel outside Texas?

In many cases, yes. Products such as Novig, Fliff, Underdog, PrizePicks, and Sleeper are built to serve users in multiple states. However, the exact offerings change by location. When you cross a state line, each app will check where you are and will only show contests and products that are allowed in that jurisdiction.

Do I need to be a resident of Texas to use these platforms?

Most platforms care about where you are physically located when you enter a contest or trade rather than your permanent residence. You still need to pass any required identity checks and age verification, and certain products can remain unavailable even if you are just visiting Texas.