The Adelson family, now majority owners of the Dallas Mavericks, have heavily backed gambling legislation in Texas over the last several sessions. But despite all the dollars put in, Texas politicians have not meaningfully considered the issue.
The Texas legislature meets only in odd-numbered years. During the 2023 session, the house approved a bill that would have allowed for statewide mobile betting controlled by the state’s professional sports teams and other sports entities, with the tax rate set at 10%. A destination resorts bill that included casinos was withdrawn from the house floor without a vote. Besides that, Texas’ lieutenant governor, Dan Patrick, said at that time he wouldn’t call for a vote on legal wagering.
He tweeted, “I’ve said repeatedly there is little to no support for expanding gaming from senate GOP. I polled members this week. Nothing changed. The senate must focus on issues voters expect us to pass. We don’t waste time on bills without overwhelming GOP sup..