AUSTIN — Undaunted by legislative defeat more than a year ago, Las Vegas Sands, one of the world’s biggest casino operators, is gearing up for another push to legalize casino gambling in Texas and is reaching out to local leaders across the state to build support in advance of the next legislative session in January.

Sands lobbyists are making their case at a statewide series of roundtable forums arranged by the Texas Association of Business to build momentum for another run at gambling legislation in 2025. Nearly 50 municipal officials and business representatives from Fort Worth, Arlington, Dallas and other North Texas cities participated in one of the sessions recently in Tarrant County.

Sands leaders have expanded their North Texas footprint significantly over the past year with the purchase of the Dallas Mavericks and more than 100 acres in Irving near the former Texas Stadium site — large enough to build a destination casino resort.

Their community outreach is just one element in a multipart strategy that also includes hefty political donations and intense lobbying by Sands and other gambling interests to overcome resistance to high-end casinos and legalized sports betting. 

During the 2023 legislative session, Sands mounted a campaign backing a casino measure carried by state Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth. The bill died during the final days of the session amid certain defeat in the Senate.

Glenn Hamer, president and CEO of the Texas Association of Business, the state’s chamber of commerce, said the forums are demonstrating wide support for casino gambling despite past defeats. 

“Supporters of destination gambling clearly have the momentum,” he said.

Reached by the Fort Worth Report, Geren declined to handicap the outlook for gambling legislation in the 2025 session or acknowledge if he will again play a role in the issue, saying it’s far too early to address the subject. 

“We are a long way from the next session, and I’m not even considering anything,” said the Republican legislator. “I’m not thinking about anything like that at this point in time.”

State Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, is honored in the Texas House with a surprise resolution. (Courtesy photo | Bob Daemmrich)

Geren’s proposal, if passed by the Legislature, would have enabled Texans to vote on a proposed constitutional amendment to legalize casinos across the state, including North Texas. A companion House bill by state Rep. John Kuempel, R-Seguin, that would have authorized eight high-end casinos also died along with Geren’s measure.

Religious groups and community health advocates worried about gambling addiction have traditionally opposed the measures. The Texas Republican Party, in its 2024 platform, flatly opposed “any expansion of gambling,” including casinos.

“(Their chances) haven’t improved at all. In fact, they’ve gotten worse from last session,” Rob Kohler, a consultant for the Texas Baptists Christian Life Commission, said of efforts to legalize gambling. Legislative opposition to gambling among Republicans increased after the March primaries, Kohler said.

Sands’ latest efforts to gear up for the next session reinforces statements made by Sands chief lobbyist Andy Abboud shortly after the 2023 outcome, when he vowed to “continue to press forward with our efforts in Texas.” 

Instead of conceding defeat, Abboud depicted last year’s legislative reception as “an extraordinary step forward” compared to gambling votes in previous sessions and asserted that “our efforts are on the right track.” 

Abboud, a Sands senior vice president for government relations, has been the company’s chief spokesman in the series of pro-gambling conferences sponsored by the state business association, according to those familiar with the meetings. Abboud was unavailable for an interview, but a Sands presentation he made at the North Texas meeting asserts that high-end casinos will result in a $13 billion economic impact in Texas, along with 70,000 permanent jobs and 185,000 construction jobs.

“They’re here for the long haul,” said Matt Hirsch, a spokesman for the Texas Destination Resort Alliance, which pushed Geren’s proposed constitutional amendment. “They never expected it to happen overnight.”

Hamer, the CEO for the Texas Association of Business, said his organization has supported destination casino gambling in Texas for “a number of years” and arranged the conferences for local leaders to widen support across the state. 

“The coalition for destination gambling goes well beyond the Sands Corporation,” he said.

A July 23 session at the Hurst Conference Center for North Texas leaders was jointly conducted by the business association and the North Texas Commission, which advances economic development in the region. Arlington Mayor Jim Ross said the majority of participants, including himself, are in support of giving voters a chance to decide on whether to bring gambling to Texas.

Mayor Jim Ross speaks to residents on March 25, 2024, outside City Hall. (Camilo Diaz | Arlington Report)

He said “the writing is on the wall” that, at some point, lawmakers will give voters the option of approving a state constitutional change to allow casinos, Ross said. 

“This type of venue would fit well with what we do here in Arlington,” said Ross, noting that the city is nationally known for an entertainment district that includes professional sports venues and two Six Flags theme parks.

Fort Worth City Council member Alan Blaylock also attended but could not be reached for comment. Other participants included council members and chamber officials from Dallas, Irving, Grapevine, Flower Mound, Farmers Branch and Frisco, as well as representatives from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, the Boeing Company and Lockheed Martin. 

Chris Wallace, president and CEO of the North Texas Commission, said his group has formed an exploratory committee to examine the issue and helped organize the conference as part of an effort to “really get our arms around” all sides of the argument over legalized gambling before lawmakers act. 

He said he’s “doubtful” that the Legislature will take final action in the next session, predicting that the push for legalized gambling may require a “multi-session strategy” possibly stretching into the biennial sessions of 2027 or 2029. 

Other conferences have been held in McKinney, the Woodlands and Fort Bend County, with future gatherings scheduled for Odessa in West Texas and Taylor in the Austin area. A virtual conference is also being tentatively planned for East Texas. 

Dave Montgomery is a freelance reporter for the Fort Worth Report.