Texas Gov. Abbott Now In Support Of Legalized Sports Betting

Sports betting proponents in Texas got a huge boost Tuesday when Gov. Greg Abbott came out in support of legalization.

In an exclusive interview with the Texas Take podcast, Abbott said he has no objection to lawmakers making a bid to legalize mobile sports betting.

“I don’t have a problem with online sports betting,” Abbott said during an interview at the governor’s mansion. “The reality is that I’d be shocked if there were not some Texans that do it already.”

The Texas Constitution prohibits the expansion of gambling, which means a constitutional amendment is required for legalization. Any sports betting-related legislature would require two-thirds majorities from both the House and Senate before being voted upon by the people.

The upper chamber is where resistance is again expected to be most concentrated. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has been consistent in his opposition to legalized sports betting at every turn over the past two legislative sessions, and said he would only support any gambling measure — including casino gaming — if there were a majority of Republicans in support.

Can lawmakers take the big step forward?

Texas has occasionally created bursts of momentum toward legalization, though it has proven difficult to sustain because state lawmakers meet only in odd-numbered years. In 2021, former state Rep. Dan Huberty introduced his bill to the State Affairs Committee, but it never went to the House floor for a vote.

Two years ago, a bill authored by Rep. Jeff Leach advanced out of the House by an 82-51 margin, but the Senate did not pick up a bill sponsored by Sen. Lois Kolkhorst. There is yet to be a House bill filed for this legislative session, but Democrat Sen. Carol Alvarado reintroduced a Senate Joint Resolution from 2023 that would legalize both sports betting and casino gaming.

Given Patrick’s opposition to sports betting in general and an unwillingness to hand a high-profile political victory to the other party, it would seem likely a Republican state senator would have to file a bill that cohorts can latch onto as a means of bringing it to a vote on the Senate floor.

Who Abbott is joining in support

Support to legalize both sports betting and casino gaming in the Lone Star State starts with a pair of casino magnates who are also owners of NBA franchises in the state. Tilman Fertitta, who owns Golden Nugget Casino and the Houston Rockets, has donated over $2 million to Abbott’s gubernatorial campaigns dating back to 2014 and more than $1 million to Patrick’s previous campaigns, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Miriam Adelson became the owner of Las Vegas Sands following the death of her husband Sheldon in January 2021 and the majority owner of the Dallas Mavericks two years later. Her husband had launched lobbying efforts in Texas to bring casino gaming to the state, and the Adelsons donated approximately $1.5 million to Abbott’s re-election campaign in 2022. The Chronicle also reported Sands has 103 registered lobbyists in Austin this year, up 29 from 2022.

Ten state-based professional franchises — including the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans — beyond the ones owned by Fertitta and Adelson have joined forces with BetMGM, FanDuel, DraftKings, and Fanatics to form the Texas Sports Betting Alliance. Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry is among its spokespeople who have made the organization’s pitch to legalize.

Opposition led by TPPF

Opposition to both sports betting and casino gaming is led by the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative-based group. It recognizes legalization of gaming would bring about significant tax revenue, but the TPPF says it would also bring about a rise in social problems including gambling addiction, mental illness, and crime.

The Republican Party of Texas also has opposition to any expanded form of gambling as part of its platform. Lawmakers who go against that could face censure from their own party as well as less support in terms of campaign finance.