The worst kept secret in casino gambling is that the house always wins. Casinos lure you in with bright lights and cheap drinks, but the only safe bet is that in the end you will lose and they won’t.
It seems like casino gambling has another poorly kept secret here in Texas — that it’s a foregone conclusion it’s coming.
Las Vegas Sands has placed a multibillion dollar wager on the state, especially in North Texas. It’s been buying up land, making big political donations to key state lawmakers and dispatching lobbyists. Its ownership has even snagged majority control of the Dallas Mavericks.
To all this we say: Not so fast. Legalized casino gambling in Texas isn’t a done deal, nor should it be. The debate around it must be real, not a glossed-up dog and pony show billed as an honest vetting of views but really just a fancy sleight of hand.
A Sands lobbyist was in North Texas recently rounding up support among some elected officials and business leaders at a meeting organized by the North Texas Commission and the Texas Association of Business.
The commission is creating an exploratory committee to consider how gambling might affect the region. We hope commission members are sincere when they say they want to hear a broad range of perspectives on what casinos could bring. While there’s no doubt they could add billions to the statewide economy, there’s also deep concern that easy gambling also exacerbates an assortment of social ills, from rising crime to broken families.
The committee also would be wise to honestly consider the state’s questionable history regulating the gambling that’s already permitted here.
We’ve expressed concerns that the Texas Racing Commission has yet to get on board with new federal regulations aimed at making horse racing safer and fairer for horses and bettors alike. And the staff of the Sunset Advisory Commission recently found that the Texas Lottery Commission was essentially asleep at the switch in regulating the lottery, especially regarding the new practice of ticket sales by way of the internet and mobile phone apps.
The possibility of a casino rising in Dallas is being treated like an inevitability. But it’s worth understanding the hurdles. The Legislature will almost certainly be taking up the issue again when it reconvenes in January. For Texas to legalize casino gambling, Both houses must approve a constitutional amendment, which then it must pass by a majority of voters.
A House bill to approve eight, statewide casino resorts fell eight votes short in 2023. For that reason, some think approval of another measure would be a long shot, particularly in the Republican-controlled Texas Senate.
But even as the Texas GOP officially opposes casino gambling in its platform, some high-placed Texas Republicans, including Gov. Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dade Phelan, have expressed openness to it. That party split is likely to tee up an internal fight to rival any Vegas boxing match.
Many local and state elected officials say they believe Texas will eventually legalize casino gambling. That may be, but let’s not act like it’s inevitable before we have a thorough debate.