Republican Lawmakers Say Votes Aren’t There for Texas Gambling Expansion

^{According to the state congress in Austin, Texas doesn’t have an appetite for expanded gambling in the state. (Image: Rolf_52 / Alamy)}

A group of 12 freshman Republican members of the Texas House signed a letter this week saying they would oppose any efforts to expand gambling during the 2025 legislative session, a move that likely dooms any effort to pass such bills this year.

Three other GOP members who previously supported online sports betting during the 2023 legislative session also signed onto the letter saying they would reject any proposals related to gambling in Texas.

Lost Votes May Make Amendment Hurdles Insurmountable 

The letter was sent to Rep. Ken King (R-88^th District), who chairs the House State Affairs Committee.

“We are confident this legislation does not have the votes necessary to pass the Texas House this session,” the representatives wrote in the letter. “Given the certainty of its failure, I urge you not to waste valuable committee time on an issue that is dead on arrival.”

The lost votes are particularly devastating to Texas gambling expansion efforts due to the high threshold for adding casino gambling or sports betting to the state’s offering. Either would require an amendment to the state constitution, which would require a two-third majority in both the Texas House and Senate. 

In the 2023 session, an online sports betting proposal narrowly met that test in the Texas House, getting 101 votes out of 150 members. However, a similar proposal to amend the Texas constitution to allow for resort casinos only earned 92 votes, coming up short of the 100 required. 

With a net loss of a dozen votes for sports betting and 10 for casino resorts, both bills seem well short of the required two-thirds mark in the House. Both bills would also face a significant uphill fight in the Senate, where Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick serves as Senate president, and has said he won’t call a vote on either issue unless it is supported by majority of Republicans in the chamber.

Texas Residents Signal Support for Gambling Expansion

Supporters have framed the bills as merely a way to let Texas residents have their say, as voters would still have to approve either amendment via ballot referendums. And if there were to be such a vote, there are signs that Texans might support gambling expansion.

In a January poll conducted by the University of Houston, 73 percent of voters supported allowing resort casinos in the state, with 60 percent in favor of legalized sports betting. There was broad support for the measures across the political spectrum, with self-identified Democrats being slightly more likely to support both proposals than those who identified as Republicans. 

That has led some pro-gambling groups to blast Texas lawmakers for not working to advance those measures. 

“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,” Matt Hirsch, spokesperson for the Texas Destination Resort Alliance, 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.”

The Texas Destination Resort Alliance is sponsored by Las Vegas Sands, which has spearheaded a major lobbying push in favor of allowing casinos in the Lone Star State. Last year, Rice University political science professor Mark Jones estimated that Sands had spent close to $100 million on lobbying and political donations to build support for casino gambling in Texas.