Texas Sports Betting 2024 – Latest Texas Legal News. Texas sports betting is not legal, and it appears Texans will have to wait until at least 2025 for that to change. As the Texas Legislature meets every two years, 2025 is the next opportunity for legalization after a big push during the 2023 session.
Of Texas' 254 counties, 4 are completely dry, 195 are partially dry, and 55 are entirely wet. The vast majority of entirely wet counties are in southern border regions of Texas near Mexico, or in the south central portion. Alcohol law in Texas varies significantly by location. In some counties, 4% beer is legal.
The drinking age is 21 in Texas. It was raised from 18 years in 1971, to 19 years in 1979, and to 21 years in 1984 as legislators sought to curb drunk-driving instances. However, there are exceptions to the law. An individual less than 21 years of age may drink at home when supervised and permitted by an adult.
Is it Legal to Have an Open Container in Texas in Public? Contrary to popular belief, there is no statewide ban prohibiting public consumption of alcohol in Texas, unless you are in a state park or in an area of a city where it has specifically been deemed illegal.
Alcohol sales are more stringently regulated. They are prohibited 1) on Sundays, 2) on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day (and when Christmas and New Year's Days are on a Sunday, the prohibition is carried over to the following Monday), and 3) before 10AM and after 9PM on any other day.
Can you walk with an Open Container in Texas? It is legal to drink in public in Texas. There is no statewide law prohibiting public consumption of alcoholic beverages. However, many local jurisdictions have laws prohibiting or curtailing public consumption of alcohol.
No, alcohol is not available for purchase 24 hours a day in Texas. Alcohol sales begin at 7 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and 10 a.m on Sunday. Alcohol can be purchased until midnight Sunday through Friday in Texas, and on Saturday until 1 a.m. (Sunday morning).
Bars in Austin are also required, per Texas state law, to close at 2am. There are some dance clubs that stay open after that, but they can't serve alcohol. This means that after last call on 6th Street, thousands of people flood from the bars at once, crowding sidewalks and causing traffic jams.
In 2021, Texas updated its laws regarding the purchase times for beer and wine on Sundays, moving it from noon to 10 a.m. Meanwhile, liquor stores have permission to operate from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
Unsurprisingly, the most densely populated states in the U.S. consume the most alcohol by volume. California leads the pack with 85.7 million gallons consumed in 2020. Texas, Florida, New York, and Illinois round out the remainder of the top five. Conversely, Wyoming, Alaska, and South Dakota consume the least.
That there are still dry counties in Texas in 2023, even if it's only four out of 254 Texas counties, might be less surprising than the fact that some of the state's most-populated counties, including Harris, Travis, and Dallas, are only “partially wet,” according to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission.
Texas has restricted liquor sales on Sundays since 1935 when the Texas Liquor Control Act was passed in response to the repeal of Prohibition. Bills to allow liquor stores to open on Sundays failed in the past. But the rise in ready-to-drink cocktails might help soften the ban.
Bars stay open until midnight or one AM. Sundays we used to could not buy alcohol until noon and the liquor stores had to be closed. Now you can buy a drink at an restaurant as long as they serve food with it on Sunday mornings.
Blue laws—supposedly named for the color of the paper on which they were once printed—prohibit certain activities and the sale of certain items on Sunday; about half the states have them. As you might expect, liquor is a popular target of such laws, but Texas forbids the sale of 42 other categories of merchandise.
Texas is the only state in the nation that does not allow publicly traded companies, like Walmart Inc., to obtain liquor permits — but they are allowed to sell beer and wine.
Texas amended the the law that dictates when you can buy beer and wine in stores in Texas in 2021, adjusting the legal purchase time down to 10 a.m. on Sundays from noon. Liquor stores are closed on Sunday, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day.
However, 2023 has brought about a change. Recognizing the evolving societal dynamics, the state has extended sales hours. Stores can now start selling beer and wine at 10 am, instead of waiting until noon, aligning Sunday hours more closely with the rest of the week.
Since Texas is in compliance with the federal TEA-21 standards regarding open containers, passengers may not consume alcohol in a moving vehicle. An open container violation is a Class C misdemeanor, resulting in a fine of up to $500.
According to the Texas Penal Code, a passenger is allowed to drink and have an open container while in a vehicle used primarily to transport people for compensation like a limo, bus or taxi. This exception does not apply to ride share services like Uber and Lyft, which each have no open container policies.
Yes, in Texas, you can still be charged with an open container violation even if you were parked at the time. The law prohibits any person from having an open container of alcohol in the passenger area of a motor vehicle. Including in the front and back seats, while the vehicle is being operated on a public roadway.
Both state and federal excise tax is included in the price of alcohol. For example, when buying a beer in Texas, consumers pay 1.8 cents of state excise tax and 5 cents of federal excise tax, totaling only 6.8 cents.
Can I have alcohol at the beach event area? Alcohol is not permitted at Stewart Beach. It is, however, allowed at East Beach and Seawolf Park. Absolutely no glass is allowed on any Texas beaches.
