The future of the Dallas Cowboys winning another Super Bowl and the state of Texas legalizing sports gambling are both tied to Jerry Jones.
If you had to bet, the smart money is Texas will allow gambling before Jerry cradles another Lombardi Trophy. The odds of either rest somewhere between “Awful” and “Terribly, Terribly, Brutally, Terrible Awful.”
At least, according to the people familiar with this topic, Jerry has a better chance to win his fourth Super Bowl trophy as the GM of the Cowboys than we Texans do have of placing a sports bet (legally).
You can only make such a bet across the border into Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, New Mexico, and now so many other states all over America. Currently, 38 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have legalized sports betting.
On this issue, we remain holed up in the Alamo, with Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick playing the role of Davy Crockett against the charging Jerry Jones, who in this scenario is Santa Anna. Of the many threads to his legacy in sports, securing legalized sports betting in Texas may ultimately be the hardest one on Jerry’s list.
“I don’t want to sound like a politician but it is the mindset and the mind frame (of the people) and (sports gambling) has to get an order of priority and an order of important for something like this,” Jerry said Wednesday. “You have to create a level of importance, and that level of importance sometimes takes years to establish, or some other visible, tangible, ‘Other states do it, or some states,’ to make that happen.
“That’s a long winded way of saying that ultimately we’ll have sports betting in the state of Texas, until that time the state does lose an opportunity for huge amounts of revenue.”
If Jerry really wants it, 2.5 things need to happen:
1. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is out office.
Although Texas is flanked by gambling in every direction, Patrick has made it clear that he has no interest in legalized gambling. On this issue, and so many others, he is the czar, Prime Minster, dictator, president, and Darth Vader.
There are natural rumblings in Austin about his future, specifically how much longer he plans to remain in that position, and who will be his successor. He is 74. It’s doubtful he will leave that position without putting himself in a position to have influence from beyond the big chair.
In 2024, Texas Rep. Charlie Geren, a Fort Worth Republican, postponed a vote to allow destination-style resort casinos until 2027. That’s not a coincidence.
The Texas legislative session begins next year, and Patrick’s future in office will be a priority point of off-the-record discussion among government officials.
His successor is not apt to wield the vengeful-laced power of Patrick. Austin lawmakers know better than to cross him, and on this issue it’s not worth it. He will publicly say he will entertain legalizing sports gambling, if Texas senators brought it to him.
They don’t for a reason.
2. Jerry will have to travel to Austin himself to lobby legislators.
Using the Alamo analogy, Santa Anna is currently sitting on his yacht on and he has out-sourced the efforts to well-paid soldiers to take the Alamo.
If Jerry really wants to see legalized sports betting in Texas, he will have deboard his yacht, grab a sword, and charge the Alamo himself. There is no more powerful, and persuasive, owner of a sports team in the world. If this topic really matters to him, he can’t rely on someone else.
The major teams in the state are lobbying to pass it because they all envision a scenario of a “sports book” in the respective venues. Currently those teams in the state have joined efforts to lobby Austin lawmakers to legalize sports gambling. Those efforts have made little impact.
Jerry does have one asset on his side in this debate that he didn’t previously. Although former Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has been a major ally to legalize sports gambling, the person who replaced him will take a far bigger interest in the matter.
Mavs primary owner Patrick Dumont is the president and COO of Las Vegas Sands Corp. He bought the Mavericks as an investment, and as an entry into Texas, just in case gaming passes.
2.5. Texas desperately needs the money.
The “huge amounts of revenue” has been the argument for casinos and legalized sports betting for nearly 20 years. With the Texas government in a reported surplus of more than $32 million without that “huge amounts of revenue” from gaming, legislators don’t have an immediate need to move on this issue.
There is a better chance that a casino will be built before sports gambling is allowed. In a casino, the patron must be 21 whereas with sports gambling the person could be a kid with a cell phone and an app.
This is where Texas is on gambling, and specifically sports gambling.
The way things are going, the Dallas Cowboys will celebrate a fourth Super Bowl under Jerry before we Texans can place a bet in a casino, or on ballgame, in Texas.