The Dallas City Council’s Government Performance and Financial Management Committee recently discussed possibly urging the state Legislature to legalize casino gambling. The talks follow the increasing involvement of major casino operators in the local real estate market.
For example, last November, the owners of Las Vegas Sands Corporation acquired a majority share of the Dallas Mavericks from Mark Cuban. They also have purchased a 200-acre site in Irving and a prime development site near the city’s downtown off Stemmons Freeway, according to the Dallas Morning News.
The Morning News also reported that last year, Fort Worth-based resort and spa operator Canyon Ranch partnered with Caesars Palace owners VICI Properties, which paid $200 million for a new Canyon Ranch development in Texas.
Councilman Chad West pointed out the state Legislature addressed casino gambling in the last session and is likely to take it up in 2025. He said if casino gambling becomes legal in Texas, Dallas needs to plan how it would regulate and tax casinos and how casino tax revenue would be spent.
Per FOX 4, West added, “I don’t think it’s fiscally responsible or prudent for us to wait until everything’s passed to begin these discussions and planning.”
Craig Davis, chief executive officer at VisitDallas, shared with committee members his experience in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he took part in early discussions about legalizing casino gambling. He said, “It was a very positive experience for us from a tourism perspective.”
Also in attendance was Rich Fitzgerald, former county executive for Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, who said, “Quite frankly, it’s been positive on the economic side.”
He added casino gambling has provided numerous jobs and has not caused an increase in crime. “I’m not going to say everything’s been perfect with it, but it’s been a pretty positive experience for us,” he said, per FOX 4.
Fitzgerald pointed out Pennsylvania residents were gambling at casinos in neighboring states. “So, some of this was about keeping the folks at home so that they would spend their money in Pennsylvania,” he said. A similar situation exists in Texas; for example, nearly 80 percent of customers at Choctaw Casinos and Resorts in Oklahoma are Texans, according to the Morning News.
City Council member Cara Mendelsohn, chair of the Dallas Ad Hoc Committee on Legislative Affairs, stated any legislation legalizing casino gambling should include specific locations, such as downtown Dallas or adjacent to the convention center. Mendelsohn, who said she opposes gambling, added if the state legalizes casino gambling, host cities should use revenue and fees for public safety and problem gambling services.
Other council members said casino tax revenue should go toward the struggling Dallas police and fire pension fund. Per FOX 4, Councilman Adam Bazaldua said, “I see this as a huge, missed opportunity if we don’t tap into a new statewide source of revenue for police and fire pensions.”
Gambling is illegal in Texas with the exception of Native American casinos that are managed under federal gaming guidelines.
