Bipartisan legislation filed to legalize casino gambling, sports betting in Texas – The Dallas Morning News

AUSTIN Two state lawmakers are backing bipartisan legislation that seeks to legalize casino gambling and sports betting in Texas.

The bills by State Rep. John Kuempel, R-Seguin, and Sen. Carol Alvarado, D-Houston, would allow four casino resorts to be built in Austin, the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Houston and San Antonio and would also legalize sports wagering. The states three federally-recognized Indian tribes would also be able to expand full-fledged gambling, including slot machines, on their land, a right the state has long denied them.

The bills require a two-thirds vote of lawmakers because they seek to overturn the ban on most gaming enshrined in the Texas Constitution. If either bill passes the Legislature, Texas voters will then have the final say on whether or not to approve the gambling expansion.

The Las Vegas Sands, the gambling empire of the late casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, is behind the push to overturn the states ban on betting. Rob Goldstein, CEO of the Sands, told The Dallas Morning News that casinos would bring economic growth and tourism to Texas.

Our commitment is to develop transformational destination resorts that create tens of thousands of jobs and produce billions in revenue for the state while also providing robust economic benefits to the local host communities, he said.

The states GOP-dominated Legislature has long opposed expanding gaming, most of which is banned other than bingo, the Texas Lottery and some horse and greyhound track racing. But polls, including one released this week by The News and the University of Texas at Tyler, show a majority of respondents said they would legalize casino gambling if given the chance.

Republicans insiders say expanding gambling in Texas will be a huge lift. But the Sands multi-million investment to bring casinos here, plus a parallel effort by pro teams to legalize sports betting, means that undoing the states gambling ban has more momentum now than it has had in years.

Gov. Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dade Phelan, both Republicans, havent openly opposed the push to bring casinos to Texas this year. But Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who leads the Texas Senate and has significant sway over legislative priorities there, cast doubt on the efforts last month.

Im not a big supporter of it, Patrick said on the Chad Hasty radio show, saying infighting among casino, racetrack and Indian gaming interests has scuttled progress in the past.

During a briefing on the legislation last month, a Sands representative said Dallas would be the top destination for casino gambling in the state.

Well look at the entire market of Texas, but focus primarily on Dallas because that is where the greatest bleed of money is going, across the Oklahoma border, said Andy Abboud, senior vice president of government affairs for the Las Vegas Sands. While it has a strong tourism industry, we can enhance that.

The legislation, Joint Resolution 133 in the House and Joint Resolution 49 in the Senate, states that slot machines would be taxed at a rate of 25% and table games at 10%. This revenue would then go into state coffers. Gaming interests that want to build a casino in a metropolitan area with a population of fewer than five million would be required to invest at least $1 billion in the venture. Casinos built in more populous areas would require a $2 billion investment.

The number of casinos would be capped at four, not counting those built by tribes on Indian land. Only one tribe in Texas, the Kickapoo Nation, currently operates a casino here, but that location still lacks traditional slot machines and many other Vegas-style table games. Limited gambling would also be allowed at certain racetracks.

A second set of bills laying out the regulatory rules for the casinos has not yet been filed.

While the Sands legislation includes the legalization of sports wagering, an alliance of pro teams and betting platforms also seeking to overturn this ban have not openly supported casinos. The sports betting legislation, which would also require a Constitutional amendment, would allow Texans age 21 or older to bet on professional and college sports. Bettors would receive a maximum of 90% of their winnings, with 10% going to fund special education in Texas.

A spokesperson with the Sports Betting Alliance, which is backed by all the top Dallas-area teams including the Cowboys, Mavericks, Stars and Texas Rangers, did not immediately return a request for comment Tuesday morning about the casino legislation.

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Bipartisan legislation filed to legalize casino gambling, sports betting in Texas - The Dallas Morning News