Las Vegas Sands lobbying blitz drives consideration of Casino Legalization by Texas lawmakers

A proposal for a constitutional amendment to establish the Texas Gaming Commission to regulate gambling within the state was filed by Republican Rep. John Kuempel and Democratic state Sen. Carol Alvarado. This will pave the way for four casinos, one in Austin, one in Houston, one in San Antonio and another in the Dallas area to be built in the state. These areas have been targeted by Las Vegas Sands, the Sheldon Adelson-founded company that has a lobbying surge for Texas gambling legalization. 

For legalization to come to fruition, the bills would need to be approved by two-thirds of the legislation at which point the constitutional amendment would be put on a ballot for Texas voters to either approve or reject. The proposed amendment will pave the path for gambling in the Native American Territory of Texas, which is a right currently given to tribes in other states. The Republican Party of Texas is against the expansion of gambling since the platform of the party requests for the opposition to " the expansion of legalized gambling." 

On the other hand, there have been prominent Republicans like Texas Governor Greg Abbott who have signaled that they might be open to a legislation effort. Las Vegas Sands' Senior Vice President Andy Abboud said that Texas casinos stand to produce $8 billion to $10 billion in gross annual gaming if Texas casinos are legalized. Mr. Abboud also estimated that a range of 60,000 to 80,000 jobs would be created should the casino be legalized. 

Before 2018, Nevada had long been the only state which allows sports betting but since then, eighteen states across the country have taken off. The District of Columbia has legalized sports since 2018 with successful legislation efforts taking place in some of the most liberal and conservative states alike. Five more states have legalized sports betting but have not yet allowed their residents to participate due to drawbacks like regulatory commission (oversight). These states are Washington, North Carolina, Louisiana, Dakota, Virginia, and Maryland.