Irving, Texas Commission Approves Rezoning Plans for Casino Near Dallas

Texas just took a massive step toward adding a casino near downtown Dallas.

The Irving Planning and Zoning Commission voted 5-4 to recommend approving a rezoning plan that would allow for a casino to settle in Irving, a western suburb of Dallas. The recommendation was for the owners of the Dallas Mavericks, including Las Vegas Sands majority shareholder Miriam Adelson, to run the casino.

The next hurdle for the project to clear will be the Irving City Council, which will review the proposal during a Thursday meeting.

Rare progress

Casinos are still illegal in Texas and face an uphill battle to legalization given the staunch opposition toward gambling from key legislators. A petition filed on change.org that encouraged locals to show their opposition to a casino in Irving also gathered more than 3,000 signatures last week.

Regardless, the proposal is gaining steam in a rare show of support from a largely anti-gaming state.

“We have been presented with a unique opportunity, and I believe we should welcome this proposal, as it would put us back on the map,” said Commissioner Gerald Sanguino.

The planned development site of the casino is where Texas Stadium, the former home of the Dallas Cowboys, once called home. The land was purchased in 2023 by a business affiliated with Las Vegas Sands.

Development still cannot begin until the rezoning is approved by the City Council. Sands also would not be allowed to open the casino until state laws are amended to allow for such facilities, a fight that has already cost millions of dollars in unsuccessful lobbying efforts.

Something or nothing?

The connection to Adelson and Sands is, in all likelihood, not coincidental. Sands previously shared its desire to build an arena with at least 15,000 seats and a theater with at least 4,000 seats on the resort’s land, leading to speculation that the Mavericks could be relocated across town.

The Mavs’ lease agreement with American Airlines Center will expire in July 2031, meaning they’ll likely stay put for at least another six years.

“What we’re saying to the city is we want to exhaust every possible option in the city of Dallas before considering pivoting to another location in the Metroplex,” Mavs CEO Rick Welts told The Dallas Morning News last week when explaining that the Mavs want to build their own arena.

The biggest obstacle to the legalization of casino gambling and sports betting is Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R), who has already helped kill a variety of gaming legislation. 

Texas also recently shut down the use of lottery couriers and is withholding an $83.5 million lottery jackpot won via the machines.

Sands is on the record saying that even if Texas changed its gambling laws, a facility would be 5-7 years down the line.