No Support for Sports Betting in TX Senate, Says Lt. Gov. Patrick
Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, a staunch Republican who leads the Texas State Senate, sees no chance that his party will debate the issue of legalizing sports betting in his state in the next lawmaking session.
TX Lt. Gov. Patrick sees little chance for sports betting legislation.
Constitutional Amendment Could Lead to Sports Betting Support
In a recent media appearance, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said “I might have three or four Senators out of 20 Republicans who support it [in the TX Senate], that’s it.”
Such political realities mean a bill to pass sports betting or casino gaming in the Lone Star State has slim to no chances. Patrick hinted that he feels it would be after 2025 before the state considered an expansion of gaming.
Texas currently has a state lottery, but that’s all. Some lawmakers have proposed a ballot measure that would ask voters to approve a constitutional amendment to allow for gaming. If that happened, the state legislature would be required to implement sports betting, either online and/or in person, and potentially online casinos.
Conservative members of the Republican party who hold office in the Texas State Senate are the most ardent opposition to legal sports betting.
Some Texas residents who want to wager on sports travel into neighboring states such as Louisiana, which has sports betting apps.
Partisan Politics Blocks Legal Sportsbooks in Texas
Texas and its $2.7 trillion economy are still without legal sports betting, online casinos, or even land-based casinos. In large part, that’s because this dark red state is controlled by GOP members who have so far refused to acknowledge public opinion polls that show support for the legalization of gambling.
In the last legislative session, Democrat supporters in the Texas House of Representatives introduced a bill that would have provided for legal sportsbooks and casinos.
A version passed on a largely partisan vote, but it failed to get recognition in the State Senate, which is controlled by Patrick and other Republicans.
They say, ‘Oh, we almost passed [a casino bill] last session.’ You know, they almost passed it with every Democrat voting for it and about one of four Republicans voting for it. We don’t do that in the Senate.– Dan Patrick, Lt. Governor, WFAA
California is the only state larger than Texas in terms of economic clout, and it also does not have legal sports betting apps. California at least has brick-and-mortar casino gaming, something Texas still has to figure out.
In 2023, a bill nearly passed in the Texas House of Representatives that would have allowed for casinos. It failed by eight votes despite getting a YES from every Democrat.
The issue of casinos and sports betting in Texas has been drawn along the lines of the two political parties. Texas has not elected a Democrat governor since 1990. For most of the last three decades, the state government has been controlled by the GOP. The state has not been won by a Democrat in a U.S. Presidential race since 1976.
