Texas sues Churchill to stop TwinSpires in Lone Star State
From "cease and desist" to "permanent injunction," the state of Texas filed suit in Collin County District Court seeking to block Churchill Downs Inc. from operating TwinSpires in the state.
"[Churchill], through its subsidiaries TwinSpires and United Tote, has pushed forward with an attempt to coerce Texans to circumvent the law and place wagers online through the TwinSpires mobile application," reads the document, which attorney general Ken Paxton signed. "These actions threaten 'immediate and irreparable public harm' to Texas and its citizens."
The suit comes 2 1/2 weeks after Texas Racing Commission interim executive director David Holmes sent Churchill a cease-and-desist letter on Feb. 7, three days after TwinSpires began accepting wagers from state residents. United Tote president Andrew Archibald told Holmes two days later that Churchill would not comply with the cease-and-desist request.
"To the extent Texas purports to require additional constraints on federal law, federal courts have found those constraints unconstitutional," Archibald said, citing a December 2025 Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that the Interstate Horseracing Act pre-empts state attempts to impose additional conditions on advance deposit wagering operators.
"Once a state has authorized horse race wagering, states may not impose 'lesser' restrictions that conflict with the federal regime," Archibald continued. "The Texas Racing Commission has no reasonable basis to believe United Tote is engaged in any activity that threatens immediate or irreparable public harm."
Beyond seeking to shut down TwinSpires operating in Texas, the state also is invoking the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices-Consumer Protection Act, accusing Churchill of allowing Texans to place wagers without disclosing that doing so violated state law. Penalties can reach $10,000 per violation, with each wager (if deemed illegal) potentially counting separately, and up to $250,000 per violation in cases involving consumers 65 or older.
At a commission meeting Feb. 11, representatives from Sam Houston Race Park and the Texas Thoroughbred Association joined Holmes in condemning Churchill's behavior in the state.
"What TwinSpires is doing does nothing for racing," TTA executive director Tracy Sheffield said then. "It is damaging to racing here. Advance-deposit wagering would be advantageous for Texas, but not in the way TwinSpires is doing it. Churchill Downs Inc. is damaging Texas racing."
A hearing regarding a temporary restraining order is likely within the next 14 days, though the court could act more quickly than that. As of 4 p.m. ET, both Texas residents contacted by Horse Racing Nation said that they could place wagers via TwinSpires.