Texas sports betting remains an uphill battle, according to one of the state’s biggest newspapers.
The Dallas Morning News published an in-depth piece on the legislative battle underway to give voters a say on Texas sports betting this November. A bill passed the House in 2023 but failed to make moves in the Senate as Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick decides what bills are heard in the upper chamber. Patrick is anti-gambling and does not believe the issue has a majority of Republican support.
With Senate passage unlikely, some House lawmakers are also adamant about stopping gambling bills despite two being introduced in the lower chamber. Still, many groups are lining up, calling for the expansion of gambling in the Lone Star State.
Texas sports betting bills in play
Two constitutional amendments are in the House, one to legalize sports betting and one to legalize casino gambling in the state. A Democratic-sponsored amendment is also in the Senate.
Because they amend the state constitution, they would require a two-thirds majority in both chambers before being put to a public vote in November.
The bills’ details are simple, leaving them up to the legislature after voter approval. Several sources told the Dallas Morning News that previous efforts were too complicated.
Republican factions at play
Patrick stopped the 2023 bill in the Senate, saying there was insufficient Republican support for the issue. There is still no Republican sponsor in the Senate.
There remains strong Christian conservative opposition to the issue, and the Texas GOP platform opposes any gambling expansion, as does the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation.
“The gambling industry has not been able to adequately convince the lieutenant governor that the benefits of gambling outweigh the societal costs of gambling,” Mark Jones, a Rice University political scientist, told the publication. “Many of the 20 Republican senators would follow the lead of the lieutenant governor on gambling.”
House loses support, too
The House passed the 2023 sports betting bill with a 101-42 vote, just hitting the necessary two-thirds majority. However, new lawmakers might make that milestone even harder to hit.
There are 26 new Republican representatives in the House. According to the Morning News, many of them oppose gambling.
“I have a whole coalition of organizations, and we’re going to make sure it’s dead, that it’s six feet under … it won’t pass the House,” Rep. Matt Shaheen told the Morning News.
That movement comes despite a University of Houston poll finding 60% of Texans support online sports betting and 73% support destination casinos.
Texas teams support sports betting
The state’s 12 professional sports teams support the issue through the Texas Sports Betting Alliance.
That includes support from Las Vegas casino magnate Miriam Adelson, who purchased the Dallas Mavericks in 2023. Adelson has funneled millions to gambling lobbying efforts.
The Texas Business Association also supports the idea of destination resorts. Gov. Greg Abbott also recently said he would not be an obstacle to gambling passage.
