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Texas already has pro-gambling proposal
Joint Resolution 52 (HJR 52) signals a potential turning of the tides in Texas, which has been one of the country’s strongest gambling critics.
Outgoing Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) played a major part in preserving the state’s anti-gambling approach. As the leader of the Senate, Patrick promised to kill any pro-casino or pro-sports betting legislation that went up for consideration.
Texas has also largely voted Red in recent history, while Republicans nationwide have generally been slower to embrace gambling than Democrats.
But The Longhorn State’s political atmosphere sifted dramatically in the midterm elections. A Senate seat, the Governor, and Lt. Gov. all flipped to blue due to frustration from local voters.
HJR 52 will need to be approved by a two-thirds majority in both chambers of the state Congress before it could be considered by voters. If that is achieved, a simple majority from the public will be enough to amend Texas’ constitution and legalize gambling.
Will casinos, sports betting come to Texas?
If nothing else, HJR 52 helped define possibly legal forms of gambling. It highlighted casino gaming, which includes live-dealer table games, slot machines, blackjack, and other amenities, and sports betting, while establishing license application fees and revenue tax rates for both.
The resolution also illustrated a path for Texas to enter into tribal gaming compacts with the state’s three federally recognized tribes: the Alabama–Coushatta Tribe of Texas, the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas, and Ysleta del Sur Pueblo.
Licenses would effectively be limited to 10 recipients. Initial license terms would last at least 40 years, which is significantly larger than the average in other states.
iGaming, or online casino gaming, would not be legalized through the joint resolution. Online sports betting would not be prohibited, meaning it would effectively be up to the legislature to decide if it wanted to include sports betting as an allowable form of gambling before putting it before voters.
Additional measures to legalize gambling are expected to follow.
Notably, several prominent and wealthy Texas businesspeople support the legalization of gaming. That list includes former Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, current owner and Las Vegas Sands owner Miriam Adelson, and Caesars Entertainment owner Tilman Fertitta.
The Texas House of Reps. approved an online sports betting bill, as well as a bill to approve sports betting through a constitutional amendment, for the first time in 2023. However, Patrick ensured the bill was not brought up for a vote in the Senate. No attempts to legalize gambling have gotten any further in the time since.
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