By Paul Lenchner
Thirty-four states have casino gambling, including all of Texas’ neighbors. Except for three tribal casinos, all of which are far from DFW, Texans who wish to participate in this form of gaming must travel out of state to do so. Thousands make the journey daily, as a perusal of the WinStar parking lots reveals. Texans are supportive of expanded gambling opportunities, at least to the extent of letting voters decide whether casinos should be legalized. A University of Houston poll released in January 2023 found that 75% of respondents favored putting casino legalization before voters. So where do things stand?
There is good news and bad news for casino supporters. Besides public opinion, two of the state’s Big Three political leaders, Governor Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dade Phelan, have spoken positively about casinos if properly launched and operated. Phelan said, “What I don’t want to see is to walk into every convenience store and see 15 slot machines. I want to see destination-style casinos that are high quality and that create jobs and that improve the lifestyle of those communities.”
The Las Vegas Sands Corporation is heavily invested in bringing casinos to Texas. It has 69 lobbyists registered with the Texas Ethics Commission, and its Texas Sands PAC contributed at least $2.2 million to candidates during the 2022 election cycle. The corporation’s principal owner, Miriam Adelson, made a separate $1 million contribution to Abbott’s campaign. Perhaps surprisingly, the Chickasaw Nation, a subsidiary of which owns WinStar, is supporting casino expansion. It also own Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, a certain casino location, if expansion comes to Texas.
On the other hand, casino gambling faces several obstacles. One is the opposition of traditional nay-sayers like the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission and Texas Values, a social conservative group. (Interestingly, the University of Houston poll found that 69% of “born-again Christians” supported letting voters decide on legalizing casinos.) Another is the state of the Texas treasury. With a surplus of nearly $33 billion, the need for additional revenue is not as urgent as in the past. Finally, and most important is the opposition of Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, the remaining member of the state’s Big Three. In a recent interview about gaming and gambling, Patrick said, “I’ve never been in favor of it.” He has also said that he didn’t “see any movement on it.” Without Patrick’s backing, casino proposals cannot get through the Texas Senate.
Texas Representative Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, has filed legislation for a constitutional amendment to give voters “the opportunity to decide whether to authorize casino gaming at destination resorts.” Parallel legislation has been filed by State Senator Carol Alvarado, D-Houston. Despite substantial support, getting the amendment to the electorate is a long shot, above all because of the lieutenant governor’s opposition.
For further reading, see Patrick Svitek, “Wanna Bet? Texas Legislature To Reconsider Legalizing Casinos and Sports Betting,” Texas Tribune, Jan. 27, 2023; and Aaron Torres, “North Texas Lawmaker Files Constitutional Amendment To Legalize Casino Gambling in Texas,” Dallas Morning News, Feb. 3, 2023.
I've always been against public sanctioned gambling and see it as a hugely regressive tax that prays on lower income people hoping to get rich but without realizing how high the odds are stacked against them. Even if they win, most lose.
Believe it or not, statistics show 70% of lottery winners end up broke and a third go on to declare bankruptcy, according to the National Endowment for Financial Education. Runaway spending, toxic investments and poor money management can burn through a lucrative windfall in next to no time.
Casino gambling is not much better. Politicians see it as free money from the taxes and fees imposed. They also enjoy campaign contributions from the gambling lobby. But I fail…