Casinos and Sports Betting Face Tough Opposition in Texas House

The expansion of gambling activities in Texas represents an effort that has failed many times throughout the history of the state. In the last decade alone, the push toward casino gambling and sports betting intensified but the chances of a proposal passing through the state’s legislature remain low. Only recently, the massive scandal that involved the Texas Lottery cast a shadow on the potential expansion with the addition of casino gambling and sports betting.

House Lawmakers Turn In Opposition to Betting, Casino Gambling

What’s more, recent changes to the state’s House make the potential gambling expansion even more difficult. Only recently, a dozen Texas House Republicans replaced lawmakers who used to support the expansion of gambling. Besides the 12 GOP newcomers who vowed to oppose betting and casino gambling expansion, three lawmakers who previously voted in support of online sports betting recently confirmed their plans to stand in opposition, the Texas Tribune reports.

Last month, two proposals were filed with the state House, one calling for the legalization of sports betting, while the other one, seeking to expand gambling with the addition of casinos, referred to as destination resorts.

However, the House State Affairs Committee chair, Rep. Ken King, vowed in a recent letter to oppose the proposals along with fellow anti-gambling lawmakers. “We are confident this legislation does not have the votes necessary to pass the Texas House this session. Given the certainty of its failure, I urge you not to waste valuable committee time on an issue that is dead on arrival,” King wrote at the time.

The Future of Gambling Expansion in Texas Remains Uncertain

Last month, we reported that Texans may finally be warming up for online sports betting, after the results of a new survey. The poll was conducted by the University of Houston’s Hobby School of Public Affairs and uncovered that 60% of the respondents favor the legalization of online sports betting. On the other hand, an overwhelming majority of the respondents, or 73%, supported the legalization of destination resort casinos across the state.

Undoubtedly, those results send a clear signal to lawmakers that more people are supporting the expansion of gambling in Texas with the addition of casinos and online sports betting. However, the future of the potential gambling expansion remains uncertain, especially considering the opposition it faces in the House.

Unlike other laws that require approval from the state’s House and Senate, gambling requires a constitutional amendment. This means that gambling bills need to pass with a two-thirds majority in the House and Senate. Such a proposal would also need a green light from Texans who would be permitted to vote for or against it.

In other relevant news from Texas, recently the Senate passed a proposal that effectively prohibited lottery couriers. This happened shortly after allegations emerged that the Texas Lottery permitted a foreign syndicate to claim a $95 million Lotto Texas jackpot.