Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones believes Texas finally has the political conditions to legalize sports betting after Democrats swept the state’s top offices in last week’s election.
“It is a plus in my mind with the best place in the world for sports, Texas, for us to have the gaming and hopefully the new turnover, you might say, in the politics will see it that way,” Jones said during his weekly Friday segment on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas.
Democrat Vikki Goodwin defeated incumbent Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who presides over the Texas Senate and has long blocked gambling legislation from advancing. Patrick has been a staunch opponent of sports betting, while Goodwin wants the decision left to Texans.
NFL’s softened stance
Jones said concerns about how sports betting could affect the integrity of games long kept the league from getting involved. However, he said the “credibility factor” of the industry has evolved.
“The more scrutinized it is, the better it’s understood, the better it’s controlled, the less you have, in our minds, the chance to abuse it and have it involved with competition,” Jones said.
The NFL long opposed sports betting before partnering with Caesars, FanDuel and DraftKings in 2021. The league has kept its partnerships with FanDuel and DraftKings and added Fanatics to the mix this season.
The league has taken a harder line on prediction markets, which currently fall under the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s jurisdiction. The NFL filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court arguing the platforms should be regulated by the states.
The NFL is the only major U.S. sports league without a prediction market partner. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell called for stronger regulation of the industry in September.
“We feel like we’re going to be right, and the best thing to do is be patient,” Goodell said.
The economic case
Jones has been an advocate for gaming expansion in Texas. He said in 2024 that the state was losing “huge amounts of revenue” by not legalizing sports betting, according to the San Antonio Express-News.
Goodwin also sees the potential for significant tax revenue for Texas. She wrote on her campaign website:
“Right now people leave, and take their dollars with them, to go to nearby states where they can gamble, which means Texas is losing out on potential revenue and economic activity. This represents a significant economic opportunity that could benefit our state through job creation, tourism, and tax revenue if properly regulated.”
Democrat James Talarico, who defeated Atty. Gen. Ken Paxton for U.S. Senate, also supports gaming expansion. Talarico voted for a 2023 constitutional amendment that would have let Texans vote on legalizing sports betting.
Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa, who defeated Gov. Greg Abbott, voted against that resolution.
