Texas: no legalisation of casinos and sports betting this year
Despite heavy lobbying from Las Vegas Sands company, lawmakers will not pass legislation in time to legalise the sector this year.
US.- It was already becoming incraesingly clear that Texas would not pass gambling legislation this year, but now it’s been confirmed. Legislature sessions are coming to an end on May 31 without legislation to regulate casinos and sports betting being considered.
The Texas House Committee on State Affairs has stalled on House Joint Resolution 133, which would allow Texans to decide if they want to allow casinos.
Introduced by State Reps. John Kuempel, R-Seguin, and Carol Alvarado, D-Houston, the legislation would amend the Texas Constitution in order to allow the vote.
It would also create a Texas Gaming Commission to handle the regulation of gaming at a limited number of destination resorts and other facilities in the state’s four largest cities: Houston, Austin, Dallas and San Antonio.
One of the resolution’s biggest backers was Las Vegas Sands Corp., which funded the Texas Destination Resort Alliance. It argued that the legislation would create tens of thousands of jobs.
An effort to legalise sports wagering in the state has also failed. That proposed legislation had the support of The Sports Betting Alliance, a group including several professional teams.
