Although Texas has some of the strictest laws against gambling, some observers think the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling lifting the ban against sports betting, and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA’s) temporary lifting of its ban against states that allow sports betting to host individual college games.
An article in the Texas Tribune on the upcoming Texas legislative session noted that advocates claim sports betting could pump at least $1 billion into the state economy. Citing the NCAA action, the paper noted that Houston, San Antonio and the Dallas-Fort Worth area make big money hosting opening-round, regional and Final Four games.
The San Antonio Business Journal estimated that San Antonio’s hosting of the 2018 championship brought in $185 million into the city. And that’s just one city.
Although Texas is considered anti-gambling, it does allow horse and dog racing and the state has a lottery.
On the other hand, the state is involved in a drawn-out legal battle with the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas and its Naskila Gaming, a bingo parlor the state government is trying to close.
Texas Rep. Brian Babin has authored a bill in Congress to clarify that the tribe can offer electronic bingo under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. The bill has been referred to the Subcommittee on Indian, Insular and Alaska Native Affairs, where it remains.
