A new committee will explore the potential benefits and drawbacks of legalizing casino gambling and betting in Texas as advocates wait for the legislature to reconvene in 2025.
Texas’ last legislative session ended in May 2023 with the issue of gambling unresolved. The casino measure failed to obtain the two-thirds majority in the House necessary to move forward on the second reading, while the Senate rejected a bill to authorize online sports betting after it had passed in the House.
Now, the North Texas Commission (NTC) is forming a committee of business and community leaders to assess issues related to destination resorts and casino gambling. The committee will study potential implications and make recommendations regarding issues including economic development, infrastructure requirements, transportation and public safety impacts.
NTC Chief Operating Officer Patrick Brophey said elected officials, tourism leaders, economic development officials, chambers of commerce members and representatives from religious and faith-based organizations will all be invited to apply for a seat on the commission. The intention is to launch the committee in the fall and to begin the research before the Texas legislative session begins early next year.
A number of high-profile Texas figures have advocated for sports betting, including former Gov. Rick Perry and sports franchise owners Mark Cuban and Jerry Jones, and research from the likes of the University of Houston and Rice University has suggested that Texas residents are in support of gambling expansion in the state.
Brophey stressed that the NTC wants to have both supporting and dissenting voices on the commission.
Las Vegas Sands executive stresses potential benefits
The NTC hosted a roundtable session this week in collaboration with the Texas Association of Business. There, an executive from another staunch proponent of potential gambling legalization, Las Vegas Sands, made a case for why destination gaming would benefit Texas, with particular focus on the Dallas-Fort Worth region.
Las Vegas Sands SVP Andy Abboud and NTC CEO Chris Wallace both said they want a bill passed to implement a constitutional amendment to allow voters to have their say on casino gambling. That would require a two-thirds approval in both chambers of the legislature before receiving support from a majority of Texas voters. Such a scenario would open the door for Texas to open a bidding process for a to-be-determined number of casino licenses.
Abboud emphasized that destination resorts with casinos as just one amenity can provide a huge economic boon for local areas. He cited a Rice University economic impact study conducted in partnership with Las Vegas Sands which estimated gaming could add $13 billion to the Texas economy and create 70,000 permanent jobs, as well as yield more than $34 million in tax revenue for Dallas-Fort Worth alone.
Committee doesn’t guarantee 2025 progress
Whether or not the new committee and the ongoing push for legalization in Texas actually yields progress remains to be seen.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has publicly opposed gambling expansion in Texas. Patrick noted last year that Texas Republicans do not move on measures with a Democratic majority as a general rule, so gambling legislation may need a groundswell of new Republican support to pass.
Rep. Jeff Leach told the Dallas Morning News last month that it could still be a long shot.
“Based on what happened last session, I believe it’s generally understood that unless and until there is real movement and momentum in the Senate next session — meaning the Senate actually taking up and considering the issue — there is likely not going to be any meaningful action on it in the Texas House,” said Leach.
In contrast, Irving Mayor Rick Stopfer said at the NTC roundtable session that, “we can talk about where it’s going to go and what it’s going to do and what it’s going to be, but the reality of it is…it is going to happen.”
