350% or 5BTC + 150 Spins!
New players only. Exclusive Welcome Bonus of 350% + 150 Free Spins
Following a failed attempt to legalize sports betting during the previous session, Texas lawmakers are now taking the issue up again. House Joint Resolution 102 was enacted by the Texas House during the 88th legislature with the intention of legalizing sports betting and presenting it to voters as a constitutional amendment. Nevertheless, the Senate opposed the bill, and nothing more was done. Sports betting proponents are hopeful that this session would produce different outcomes.
“I would be willing to put a dollar on it,” Texas Sports Betting Alliance spokesperson John Scott stated. Scott, a deputy attorney general and former Texas secretary of state, thinks that allowing sports betting is a harmless matter that gives Texans the flexibility to spend their money anyway they see fit.
The Texas Sports Betting Alliance, a coalition of key stakeholders including major sports teams like the Dallas Cowboys, Houston Astros, Austin FC, and the Texas Motor Speedway, is actively pushing for the legalization of sports betting. Texas remains one of only 11 states without legalized sports betting, a fact that many find surprising given the state’s significant sports culture.
In November 2023 alone, approximately 1.5 million attempts to place sports bets were made from within Texas, according to data from GeoComply. The American Gaming Association estimates that Texans spend $6 billion annually on illegal sports betting. Legalizing sports betting could provide a major boost to the state’s economy, with a projected $360 million in direct tax revenue each year, according to Eilers & Krejcik Gaming.
Despite the momentum in the House, Senate leaders have been more hesitant to embrace sports betting legalization. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, who presides over the Senate, voiced his opposition during the last session. “There is little to no support for expanding gaming from Senate GOP,” Patrick wrote in a social media post. “The Senate must focus on issues voters expect us to pass.”
However, sports betting advocates remain hopeful that public opinion will shift. “If there is a groundswell within the Senate from their constituents that they want this, then he’s open to it,” Scott said. The push for sports betting continues, with strong backing from both the public and key industry stakeholders.