Key Texas Sports Betting Voices Outlined By Major Publication


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Texas sports betting

Momentum for serious Texas sports betting discussion continues to heat up, with a major local publication highlighting the significant stakeholders this week. 

The Dallas Morning News outlined the players that will guide the Texas sports betting discourse this year as the beginning of the legislative session looms Tuesday. The last time the legislature met, lawmakers passed sports betting legislation out of the House in 2023

It died in the Senate, where Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick remains a dead end. Even if the legislature passes a gambling expansion, voters have the final say at the ballot box. 

Key Texas sports betting voices

The Dallas Morning News listed six prominent voices that can alter the gambling expansion discussion. 

Patrick determines which bills get a floor vote in the Senate, and he has been a public voice against gambling expansion and shut down any action in 2023. Republicans hold a 20-11 majority in the Senate, and Patrick has said that as long as an issue has more Democratic support than Republican, he will not advance a bill.

The Dallas Morning News also lists the Texas GOP as a major player, as the most recent party platform opposes gambling expansion. It will take multiple Senators straying from the platform to sway Patrick further. 

House leadership and sports betting

House Speaker Dade Phelan will not return to lead the lower chamber that passed sports betting under him in 2023. 

Instead, Reps. Dustin Burrows and David Cook will vie for the title. 

Burrows voted against gambling expansion bills in 2023. Cook, on the other hand, voted for both resort-style gambling and mobile sports betting.

Governor Abbott a wild card

Gov. Greg Abbott can significantly influence the legislature, just by suggesting which bills he would sign or veto. 

In 2015, Abbott said he supported gambling prohibitions, according to the Dallas Morning News. He also asked the Texas Lottery Commission to stop looking into sports betting and daily fantasy sports. 

However, in 2023, he signaled he was open to casino resorts. He has not yet asked for any gambling expansion.

Adelson dumps money into Texas

Miriam Adelson of Las Vegas Sands entered the Texas landscape in a big way in 2023, becoming the majority owner of the Dallas Mavericks. That acquisition signaled that Sands wants to play a significant role in expanding Texas gambling. 

Since then, Adelson has joined former Mavs owner Mark Cuban and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones as the leading advocates for gambling expansion. 

In 2023, she donated $3.3 million to the political cause of gambling expansion. Through the first 10 months of 2024, she contributed nearly $14 million to political action committees supporting gambling.

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