The 2023 Texas legislative session will begin Tuesday, January 10. Among the bills lawmakers will consider is a casino gaming bill filed by state Senator Carol Alvarado, who has filed similar legislation every year since 2009.
The measure would allow casino gambling at a limited number of destination resorts, authorize a Texas Gaming Commission, legalize sports betting, require occupational licenses to conduct casino gaming and impose a gaming tax.
The constitutional amendment would “foster economic development and job growth, and to provide tax relief and funding for education and public safety,” Alvarado said.
She noted a referendum would allow Texans to “vote on whether or not we should have gaming” in Texas. “The way it’s crafted, it would be very specific for casinos, Dallas, Austin, Houston and San Antonio. It would have to have several components, starting with a 4-to-5-star hotel, a complex for conventions, conferences and entertainment, restaurants and shops,” Alvarado said in a television interview.
She added casino gambling would make Texas a vacation and entertainment destination and stimulate the economy and create jobs. In Houston alone, Alvarado said, casino gambling would create “hundreds of thousands of jobs.”
The bill would require approval of two-thirds of the legislature and a majority of Texas voters. Alvarado said that wouldn’t be a problem, noting, “I guarantee, you go to Louisiana to any casino, and the majority of license plates are going to be from Texas.”
Governor Greg Abbott recently said he would be open to limited legalized gambling. However, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick previously said the Senate would never pass a casino gambling measure.
