New Texas Casino Bill Introduced With Sports Betting Implications

There has been a slew of discussions and legislation in Texas this year surrounding the legalization of betting in the state. The last piece of news prior to this bill to come out was the Attorney General saying that sports betting has zero chance to pass in Texas.

However, this did not deter Representative John Kuempel and Senator Carol Alvarado in their bipartisan attempted to legalize both casino gaming and sports gambling in the state. The legislation was filed to the House with the addition of Toni Rose as a joint author.

The Bill has some major backing from the massive entity that is Las Vegas Sands as it looks to create a legal casino market in the profitable state of Texas.

The Bill Details

The bill’s main goal is to legalize casinos in the state of Texas. It does this by establishing the Texas Gaming Commission to regulate casinos and, hopefully, later legalize sports gambling. This bill is doing this by amending the state’s constitution. This would require a super-majority in both legislative bodies, the House and Senate, as well as Texas voter approval in an election.

The bill would create licenses for four resort locations, which would be the four largest cities/areas in Texas. Those being Dallas (Fort Worth), Houston, San Antonio, and Austin. The bill also extends further licensing for expanded gaming at the three Native American tribal reservations of Livingston, Eagle Pass, and El Paso as well as racetracks throughout the state.

The Tax

The tax rate under this proposal is a 10 percent tax on table games, like blackjack, poker, roulette, and a 25 percent tax on slot machines for these casinos.

This bill does not directly deal with sports betting, as it looks to give the created body of the Texas Gaming Commission the ability to legalize and regulate it. Therefore, there are no details available on the tax rate for sports betting under this road to legalization.

Sports Betting Alliance Response

The Sports Betting Alliance is a group of representatives, professional teams, and companies that are pushing for sports wagering. According to the Texas Tribune, the Alliance is solely focused on mobile sports wagering, which is not really promised in this bill.

The bill’s real focus is to push for brick-and-mortar casinos and then legalize sports gambling at them through the created commission. However, the Alliance may still vote for the proposal as it is in favor of any gaming expansions for the residents of Texas.

Will the Bill Pass?

The bill needs a supermajority, so it needs all the support it can get. If it were to allow mobile sports wagering and make it more of a focus, then I give this bill a decent chance at getting past both the chambers. I think that there is no question that Texas residents would vote for a gaming expansion. It really is the legislators and courts in Texas that backers of this bill need to worry about.

Texas is undoubtedly a goldmine of a market for gambling that is basically untapped up and to this point. This would be a massive shift in the world of betting if Texas finally comes around to legalizing casinos and sports betting.