United Casino and Betting Legislation Coming to Texas?

We could see both betting and casino legislation passed in Texas in 2025 as the casino and betting industries have aligned their interests and could bring one bill during the next legislative session. 

Appearing on a panel discussing Texas gaming legislation, Las Vegas Sands Senior Vice President of Government Relations Andy Abboud was joined by Cesar Fernandez, the head of US state government relations at FanDuel, and Rick Limardo, the SVP of government affairs at MGM. 

They all expressed the importance of being united in their approach. Now, it’s all about deciding whether to proceed with one or two pieces of legislation. 

This comes as a lawmaker in Wyoming is pushing for casino play to become legal in 2025, too. 

The Approach is Still in Negotiation

While these two industries are coming together, it’s worth noting that last year, the Texas House passed a sports betting constitutional amendment by a vote of 101-42, one more vote than the required 100. 

As for an amendment to build eight casino resorts, it received 92 votes, falling short of 100. 

So, there are still negotiations regarding how exactly they’ll go about doing things. 

Abboud admitted that online gaming doesn’t do well with voters. He also said casinos are a difficult sell to legislators, but there’s a lot of local support. 

What About Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick?

Despite the sports betting bill passing last session, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said they’d shut down any chance of the Senate doing anything with it. 

Abboud believes that if Senate Republicans are OK with it, Patrick won’t stand in the way. He said Patrick will call for a vote if there are enough Republican votes. 

That said, gaming industry personnel are asking for constituents to decide as opposed to looking for legislators to vote on it. 

Optimism for 2025

Following the progress made in 2023, those on the panel felt good about 2025. 

Should the legislature approve the constitutional amendment, voters could be asked to check yes or no on their ballots in November 2025. 

Abboud was optimistic, while Limardo was a bit more measured in his response, though he thinks progress will be made. 

Abboud also said that whether it’s 2025 or 2027, gaming expansion will one day come to Texas.