There are still those in Austin prepared to stand against expanded legal gambling in Texas, but it’s clear the fight is far from over.
Native American tribes in Texas and Oklahoma have been working to position themselves to open one if the state expands legal gambling, Berard reported, with the Choctaw and Chickasaw in particular working to build trust with North Texas leaders.
Meanwhile, the Las Vegas-based Sands Corp. has been pushing Austin hard to legalize casino gambling. The company’s controlling shareholder, Miriam Adelson, who also owns the Dallas Mavericks, has lavished some $29 million on Texas politics. We’ve seen the money have an effect, softening the opposition of conservative candidates who had opposed expanded gambling.
Our takeaway is that the pressure bearing down on lawmakers isn’t going to ease up in the legislative session set to begin next year. More likely, it’ll do the opposite.
Money is always the loudest voice in politics, and that worries us. But Texas lawmakers need to remain firm in their opposition to the expansion of gambling in the state.
Promises of rich economic development opportunities and mounds of cash for state coffers will continue to be laid out as bait.
Maybe casinos can generate some job growth and new revenue. But remember that much of the money these casinos would generate must come from Texans’ pockets, and it’s often the pockets of those who can least afford it.
It’s not being a nanny-state to say thanks but no thanks to gambling. There are well-established, heavy social costs that come with gambling. Lawmakers should consider those alongside all the supposed benefits.
We aren’t talking about lotto tickets here. (Though let’s not forget, Texas was promised our education funding problems were behind us when the state adopted a lottery. How did that work out?)
At least a casino requires gamblers to leave their house to risk their money. Platforms like FanDuel, Kalshi and Polymarket make it all too easy, without even getting off the couch.
You can argue fairly that adults should be free to spend their money gambling. But that reasoning only holds water if we forget that the government restricts all sorts of activities — from prostitution to drug dealing — that are bad for society. Gambling falls into that camp.
As the years go on, there are ever fewer state leaders prepared to stand against casino gambling’s false promises. These days, people often talk about legalization as a foregone conclusion. We can only hope those few can keep holding the line.