A dozen Texas House Republicans who replaced pro-gambling lawmakers said this week they would oppose “any attempt to expand gambling” this session — a setback for efforts to legalize casinos and sports betting in the state.
The 12 GOP freshmen were joined by three returning lawmakers who voted in 2023 to allow online sports betting, but now say they will reject any such proposal. That measure passed the 150-member House with 101 votes two years ago, narrowly clearing the two-thirds threshold needed to amend the Texas Constitution.
The net loss of more than a dozen votes jeopardizes the chances of recreating that tenuous coalition, unless supporters can find votes elsewhere to make up the difference.
In a letter sent Tuesday to Rep. Ken King, chair of the House State Affairs Committee, the lawmakers sought to deal a death blow to the latest proposals to legalize casinos and sports betting, both of which were filed in the House last month. Neither has been referred to a committee this session, though both went through State Affairs in 2023.
“We are confident this legislation does not have the votes necessary to pass the Texas House this session,” the letter reads. “Given the certainty of its failure, I urge you not to waste valuable committee time on an issue that is dead on arrival.”
A spokesperson for King, R-Canadian, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The effort to legalize casinos in Texas has even less wiggle room than the sports betting contingent. Two years ago, a constitutional amendment to authorize “destination resort” casinos received 92 votes in the House, eight shy of the two-thirds mark.
Of the 15 signatories on the letter to King, nine are GOP freshmen whose predecessors voted for the casino measure. A returning member who signed the letter, Rep. J.M. Lozano, R-Kingsville, also supported casino legalization — along with sports betting — and is now vowing to oppose both.
That represents a net loss of 10 votes from the 92 who backed the casino proposal in 2023.
Supporters have tried to sway skeptical lawmakers by arguing that a vote for the constitutional amendment would merely put the issue before voters on the statewide ballot and let them decide whether to allow gambling, taking the final call out of lawmakers’ hands. In contrast, regular bills become law without that extra hurdle, as long as they avoid a veto from the governor.
A statewide poll conducted in January by the University of Houston’s Hobby School of Public Affairs found that 60% of Texans support legalized sports betting and 73% support authorizing “destination resort casinos.”
Matt Hirsch, a spokesperson for the Texas Destination Resort Alliance — an initiative of the Las Vegas Sands casino empire — said it is “essential for elected officials to listen to their constituents and respect their right to vote.”
“Denying Texans the chance to vote on this matter not only undermines the democratic process, but also disregards the voices of the very people they represent,” Hirsch said in a statement. “The voters of Texas know that destination resorts have the potential to bring significant economic benefits, job creation, and increased tourism to Texas while eliminating the scourge of illegal gaming in Texas.”
Sands has deployed an army of lobbyists to push for casino legalization in Austin, and its owner, Miriam Adelson, has spent millions on statehouse elections in a bid to grow the ranks of gambling supporters in Texas’ lower chamber. Eight signatories of the anti-gambling letter accepted contributions last year from Adelson via the Texas Sands PAC — though Adelson-aligned PACs donated far more, collectively, to several of the signatories’ opponents.
In an apparent reference to the 2026 elections, Hirsch said his group “will make it perfectly clear to the voters in each of these districts where their representative stands.”
Karina Kling, a spokesperson for the Texas Sports Betting Alliance, said, “Poll after poll shows Texans overwhelmingly want the chance to vote on legalizing sports betting and we hope the Texas Legislature will give them that chance.” The group is a collection of the state’s pro sports teams, racetracks and betting platforms, such as FanDuel and DraftKings.
Efforts to loosen Texas’ gambling restrictions have repeatedly failed since they were first enacted in 1856 and further tightened in 1973. The House’s approval of the sports betting measure in 2023 was the furthest either chamber has gone toward expanding gambling, though the move was largely symbolic, because Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick — a Republican who runs the Texas Senate — immediately quashed the measure in the upper chamber. Patrick has repeatedly claimed there is minimal support among the Senate’s GOP majority to expand gambling.
With the 74-year-old Patrick in office until January 2027 and vowing to seek another four-year term, the legislative battle over gambling has been centered almost entirely in the House. Supporters are aiming for incremental wins in the lower chamber that would, they hope, lay the groundwork for when the Senate is run by a more sympathetic lieutenant governor.
Disclosure: University of Houston has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
Credit: by By Jasper Scherer, Texas Tribune