Texas adds prediction markets and crypto to legislative priorities

Texas Senate Lieutenant Governor and President Dan Patrick has added a study of prediction markets, crypto, and blockchain to its priorities for the state’s next legislative session.

According to a Friday announcement, Patrick has said the interim charges are intended to “advance the priorities of Texas’ conservative majority,” which includes examining prediction markets and digital assets.

The charges would focus on “closing gambling loopholes” by studying the sudden rise of prediction market activity and assessing how federal law may be used to bypass Texas gambling restrictions, particularly around election-related markets.

Patrick has also called for stronger “coordination with federal rules” on crypto and blockchain, alongside an evaluation of crypto kiosks operating in the state.

Texas is not the only state to take aim at prediction market activity, as these platforms have increasingly come under scrutiny. States like Nevada and Arizona, among others, have pursued legal action against platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi.

Among other priorities is a proposed study of the “impact of AI on the Texas workforce and its implications for economic competitiveness.” As previously reported by crypto.news, Google has recently backed a multibillion-dollar data center project in Texas to support Anthropic.

The Texas legislature meets every two years and is scheduled to return for its next 140-day session in January 2027.

In the previous session, the state passed a Bitcoin reserve bill, which was later signed into law, making Texas the first U.S. state to establish such a reserve. Subsequently, the state made its first $5 million Bitcoin purchase in November 2025.