Texas sports betting gears up for new Congress

Texas lawmakers are revisiting the issue after attempts to legalize sports betting failed in the last legislative session. House Joint Resolution 102 was enacted by the Texas House of Representatives during the 88th Congress to legalize sports betting and present it to voters as a constitutional amendment. Nevertheless, the Senate opposed the bill and no further action was taken. Sports betting advocates are hoping this session will yield a different outcome.

“I’d bet every dollar on that,” said John Scott, a spokesman for the Texas Sports Betting Alliance. Scott, a deputy attorney general and former Texas secretary of state, believes allowing sports betting is a benign issue that gives Texans the flexibility to spend their money as they see fit.

Growing support for legalization

The Texas Sports Betting Alliance, a coalition of key stakeholders including major sports teams such as the Dallas Cowboys, Houston Astros, Austin FC, and Texas Motor Speedway, is actively promoting the legalization of sports betting. We are promoting this. Texas remains one of only 11 states where sports betting is not legal, a fact surprising to many given the state’s significant sports culture.

According to data from GeoComply, approximately 1.5 million sports betting attempts were made from within Texas in November 2023 alone. The American Gaming Association estimates that Texans spend $6 billion annually on illegal sports betting. Eilers & Krejcik Gaming says legalizing sports betting could be a major boost to the state’s economy, with an estimated $360 million in direct tax revenue annually.

Despite momentum in the House, Senate leadership has been reluctant to accept the legalization of sports betting. The president of the Senate, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, voiced his opposition in the last legislative session. “There is little to no support for gaming expansion from Senate Republicans,” Patrick wrote in a social media post. “The Senate must focus on the issues that voters expect to pass.”

But sports betting supporters remain hopeful that public opinion will change. “If there’s a growing demand for this from the voters in the Senate, he’ll go for it,” Scott said. The push for sports betting continues with strong support from both the general public and key players in the industry.