Commercial Casinos and Sports Betting in Texas Gain No Traction After Elections

Texans voted another Republican into the state senate, which will likely have a chilling effect on what was only tepid support in the legislature for passing a gaming bill. The Texas State Senate now has 20 Republicans and only 11 Democrats in the chamber. 

Gaming Not a Priority in Texas 

Conservative states are often reluctant to pass gaming bills, and Texas is no exception.

After the latest elections, Republican businessman Adam Hinojosa became the first Republican to represent the Rio Grande Valley district since Reconstruction in 1874. Hinojosa defeated incumbent Democrat Morgan LaMantia in a rematch from two years ago, when he lost by only 659 votes.

“The election results in our district are nothing short of historic,” Hinojosa said in a statement. “Our campaign has changed the balance of power in South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley.” 

Although Hinojosa has not publicly announced his feelings toward gaming, he is likely to align with his fellow Republican senators, who have been reluctant to pass a sports betting bill or a commercial casino measure. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick presides over the state Senate and has been the bellwether for conservative platforms during his 10-year tenure. 

Pro-Gambling Push Falls Short

Not surprisingly, Patrick has been considered an intractable force for pro-gambling advocates, but he recently stated that the call for it has been neither loud nor strong. Should his constituents and fellow Republican senators begin stirring for pro-gaming legislation, he would consider it. 

“When we finished this last session, no one called and said, Oh, you didn’t pass the casino bill. It’s not on anyone’s top 20 list,” Patrick said. “It doesn’t mean there aren’t people who really want it. But like anything else… it really bubbles up from the ground to tell a House member or a Senator that they want this legislation to pass. And that just has not happened.” 

The Las Vegas Sands Corporation, Dallas Mavericks now-minority owner Mark Cuban, and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones have all advocated for gaming legislation in Texas, but to no avail.  “And the casino people have tried, ‘Well, it’s all about the Senate, it’s all about Dan Patrick, or it’s all about whomever.’ No. They’ve never worked the vote. They’ve come in and spent millions and millions and millions of dollars, and they just think well, magically it happens,” Patrick argued. 

Gaming Receives Some House Support 

Despite a Republican majority in the House, gaming legislation came up only eight votes short of passing the lower chamber during the last legislative session in 2023. It was a bit of a victory for gambling supporters and reveals there is at least some legislative appetite for gaming in Texas. 

“You don’t pass major legislation in a red, conservative state with the Democrats controlling the show, particularly on a major bill like that,” argued the Republican. “I’m not leading the parade on it. I’m not stopping the parade on it. But we do not pass bills where only 20% or 25% of the elected officials support it. We just don’t do that on any bill.” 

Yet, the silver lining for pro-gaming advocates in Texas is that Patrick may be in line to take a job in the Trump administration. He has been a vocal supporter for the incoming POTUS, and because Governor Greg Abbott does not appear to have any higher political ambitions, Patrick will be relegated to his current position for the foreseeable future unless he seeks another opportunity. 

We should also note that President-elect Trump, a former casino magnate himself, is one Republican who embraces gambling, and that could hold sway with conservatives, including those in the Texas State Senate. Nevertheless, it will still likely be a while before commercial casinos or mobile sports betting come to the Lone Star State.