Sports betting is legal in 36 states and Washington, D.C., according to the American Gaming Association. “It’s going on, it’s gonna continue to go on and the state of Texas needs to regulate it and make sure that its citizens’ information is protected.” “What’s changed, I think, is the continuing education of the general public that this is not an expansion of gambling,” Perry said in an interview, suggesting that Texans already participate in this sort of gambling in other states or illegally. The Sports Betting Alliance already made a splash in the lead-up to this session by hiring former Gov. Texas has three tribal casinos, which are allowed to operate under federal law. Gambling is largely illegal in Texas with exceptions including the lottery, horse and greyhound racing and bingo. The other lane is the Texas Sports Betting Alliance, a coalition of professional sports teams in the state and betting platforms that is exclusively focused on legalizing mobile sports betting.

The first is a continuation of a lavishly funded and high-profile effort initiated by the late Sheldon Adelson and his gaming empire Las Vegas Sands to legalize casinos, specifically high-quality “destination resorts” in the state’s largest cities. There are two main camps pushing for expanded gambling in Texas - and right now, they appear to be operating on parallel tracks. But supporters have found promising signs elsewhere, and they have returned to the Capitol with an army of well-connected lobbyists after doling out millions of dollars in campaign contributions during the 2022 election. Dan Patrick, who oversees the Senate, continues to pour cold water on the idea. The push is still an uphill battle, however, as Lt. Gambling legalization advocates in Texas are going all in again this legislative session, confident that they have built more support since their efforts came up far short in 2021.

Texas legalizing casino gambling