Sports Betting
Regulators in Texas believe a resort casino is a matter of ‘when’ not ‘if’
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin is a fan of the NFL and NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is sports and being able to share that through his writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became a Sports Editor, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
Get to know Zach Wolpin betterPublished2 hours ago on October 10, 2024
On Tuesday, Andy Abboud spoke at the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas. He is the senior vice president of Government Relations at Las Vegas Sands. Abboud detailed how a Texas “destination” resort casino is a matter of “when” not “if.” The state is seeking approval for its first-ever commercial gambling establishment. At some point down the line, state politicians will break almost two centuries’ worth of commercial gambling prohibitions.
Andy Abboud called it “inevitable” that Texas will open a resort casino in the coming years. Lawmakers’ next chance to get casino gambling backed is in 2025. If they’re unsuccessful, they can try again in 2027. Sports betting of all kinds continues to grow in the United States and Texas is expected to adopt the policy.
What would casino gambling look like in Texas?
Texas is the second-most populated state in the U.S. only to California. The Lone Star State is one of the final U.S. jurisdictions without commercial casino gambling. More than 20 million Texans are living the the greater Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, and Houston areas. Every year, Texans wager hundreds of millions of dollars at neighboring casinos in Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma.
In Texas, there are several tribal casinos, but they do not offer the same type of amenities that “Las Vegas-style” casinos do. Las Vegas Sands hired a team of lobbyists in 2023 to help legalize casino gambling in Texas. While those efforts failed, they are expected to do the same in 2025. The massive amounts of residents in the “Texas Triangle” is a prime source of revenue for any operator looking to open in Texas.
Is there potential for sports betting in Texas?
Stakeholders in Texas are working to bring legal sports betting to the Lone Star State. Standing in the way of this happening is politicians in Texas. Some lawmakers support its legalization while others continue to be heavily opposed. Additionally, the state would need to decide if sports betting would be part of the casino referendum or a separate issue.
At the moment, Las Vegas Sands doesn’t have any sports betting presence in the U.S. However, major U.S. sportsbooks like DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM would be eager to enter the market.
