The topic of legalized gambling has been debated in Texas for the last several years. Unsuccessfully becoming legal in the 2021 Texas Legislature, the idea is being pushed again this year. 

Notable entities such as the Las Vegas Sands Corporation, and the Sports Betting Alliance made up of all the professional sports teams in Texas, have heavily advocated for legalizing gambling in the state of Texas. Professional sports teams in Texas are already partnering with online sports betting companies and casinos. Additionally, state politicians have advocated for the idea, and even former Texas Governor Rick Perry has shown support for it.

The Texas Sands PAC has been donating tens of thousands of dollars to both Democrat and Republican politicians including Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, and Texas Governor Greg Abbott. They have more lobbyists in the Texas Legislature than any other company. 

Supporters of legalized gambling and sports betting point to the revenue that Texas could make if it legalized gambling and sports betting. Projected revenues in the first year of being legalized alone are around a billion and the state could increase its revenue in the millions, over time. Millions of Texans already travel out of state to gamble and that money is going into the pockets of other states. Furthermore, many Texans place online sports bets.

Advocates say this could better fund education initiatives and other state programs that need funding. However, some lawmakers are still against the idea of legalizing gambling in the state. Most outspoken is Lt. Governor Dan Patrick. They worry about the addictive nature of gambling and how it would impact Texans.

The House State Affairs Committee has already passed several bills after consideration of the pros and cons of legalizing gambling in the state. While those might have a good chance of passing the Texas House, it’s the Senate that might let the bills die before the Legislature ends. Lt. Governor Dan Patrick has already stated that the Senate would not have enough Republican votes to pass such legislation. 

While the idea of legalizing gambling and sports betting has strong support, it may be a few more years before we could see the practice in the state of Texas. Several bills have been filed that give a vision of what that would look like. The idea would be Texas resort destination casinos and professional sports complexes like AT&T stadium having sports betting. The idea of destination resorts in Texas has piqued the interests of lawmakers, but it would be unlikely this year that the Legislature would be able to pass anything, according to SportsHandle. As more states are legalizing the practice, Texas is under pressure since it is the second most populous state.