A new poll conducted by the Hobby School of Public Opinion at the University of Houston has revealed that 75 percent of Texas voters would support retail and online sportsbetting and licensing of at least four destination resorts in major Texas cities. The poll asked whether voters would approve a bill submitted by Houston Senator Carol Alvarado, which has both of the elements in it.
In addition to the overall approval rate, only 25 percent oppose the measure with just 13 percent “strongly opposing” it. However, 69 percent of respondents would also be in favor of a bill that would only legalize retail and online sports betting.
While Lt. Governor Dan Patrick still appears to be a roadblock, opposing any form of gaming expansion, this poll could pressure him to back off with pluralities shown. The polls show majority support among Republicans and even Born Again Christians.
But Texas Governor Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dade Phelan have, for the first time, said they are open to a bill legalizing casinos and sports betting in the Lone Star State.
This is the first time since the legalization of the state lottery in 1991 that the stars have seemed so aligned for supporters of expanded gaming, whose main cheerleaders are the Las Vegas Sands Corp. and the Sports Betting Alliance, which is made up of sports teams that support sports betting—which is all of them.
The Texas legislative session lasts for 140 days once every two years. The session began in January. So if Senator Carol Alvarado, leader of the Senate Democratic Caucus, wants to pass her bill that would give the voters a chance to decide the matter, she will require momentum early on. She may have it, according to a report by the Dallas Morning News.
Texas is one of the most restrictive states when it comes to gaming. It allows the lottery, bingo and horse and greyhound racing. In addition, the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe operates a Class II casino, the Eagle Pass and the U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo tribe near El Paso, also known as the Tiguas, and the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas, north of Houston, have the autonomy to regulate electronic bingo games on their lands.
Alvarado tried to pass a similar measure two years ago. It would create a Texas Gaming Commission, which would be authorized to issue four licenses for destination resorts in Texas’s four largest cities. Investors would need to commit to spending at least $2 billion per resort.
Supporting Alvarado with a small army of 63 lobbyists is the Las Vegas Sands Corp., whose founder, the late Sheldon Adelson, was a major political donor in a state dominated by Republicans. His wife, Miriam, has continued to support his dream of opening one of the last remaining large casino markets in the U.S.
The company’s PAC donated $1.7 million to the GOP last year. But the Democratic party received $603,500.
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is also a big supporter of gaming in the state with plans to build a Las Vegas-style casino resort in the heart of Dallas.
According to the Morning News, the sports betting lobby represented by the Sports Betting Alliance also has heavy hitters, such as former Texas Governor Rick Perry as spokesman, all of the state’s professional sports teams, and sportsbook operators.
