Texas GOP Senate Against Gambling Expansion

Any hopes that legal sports betting in Texas is possible this year were all but killed last week when Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who also serves as president of the Senate, tweeted that there is no appetite in that chamber for the gambling expansion. Patrick has long said he doesn’t support an expansion of gambling in the Lone Star State, but stakeholders are pleased that at least some progress was made this session. Sports betting passed through the House, though casino legislation that would have allowed for eight “destination resorts” did not.

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While both legal sports betting and casino gambling measures had support in the House, Patrick has consistently said that there is not enough support among Senate Republicans for him to consider entertaining either issue. Nineteen of the 31 Senate seats are filled by Republicans, and 21 votes would be needed to pass the bills. The wagering legislation that made it through the House was sponsored by Republicans and had bipartisan support.

Patrick’s opposition this session makes 2025 the soonest that wagering could be legalized in Texas, as the legislature meets only in odd-numbered years. The current session is set to close on May 29, and other forms of gambling expansion are likely on hold for at least as long. A House Joint Resolution that would have sent the casino decision to the voters and its companion “destination resorts” proposal was withdrawn from the House floor.

Legal sports betting has proved a very heavy lift in the nation’s biggest states. Of the top four, only New York has legalized it. California voters overwhelmingly shot down multiple legal sports betting initiatives in the 2022 election, while the fate of legal betting in Florida is currently in the hands of a federal appellate court. In both of those cases, Indian Country has had a monopoly on casino gaming and seeks the same for legal sports wagering.

Throughout the Texas legislative session, stakeholders knew that moving any gambling bill forward would be a challenge on many levels. Some states legalize it because of the need for tax revenue, but Texas isn’t in that situation. In addition, none of the bills adequately address Texas’ tribal into

rests, and there is strong opposition from religious groups in the state.

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