Two gambling expansion bills are slated to be heard on Wednesday in the Texas House of Representatives.
House Bill 1942 and House Bill 2843 were considered on Monday in the House Calendars Committee and added to Wednesday’s House schedule for second readings. However, even if the bills pass in the House, it is unlikely that either will gain traction in the Senate.
Both bills received hearings in March in the Texas House State Affairs Committee and were reported favorably out of the committee in April. These bills are enabling legislation to proposals that aim to amend the Texas Constitution.
Bills concentrate on Texas gambling, Texas internet casinos
HB 1942, sponsored by Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, is the enabling legislation for House Joint Resolution 102, which would legalize online gambling in Texas.
“It’s clear that wagering on sports is here to stay,” Leach told the House State Affairs Committee in March. “But it’s conducted in the shadows with no protections, privacy, or recourse.”
Leach’s bill authorizes online gambling licenses for the state’s 12 professional sports teams, two racetracks, and the PGA. It taxes gambling operators at 10% of adjusted gross gaming revenue – the money a sportsbook earns from bets minus its payouts and promotional money given to bettors.
HB 2843, sponsored by Rep. John Kuempel, R-Seguin, is the enabling legislation for House Joint Resolution 155, which would allow for resort casinos in Texas licensed through pari-mutuel race tracks in major cities. It would also permit retail gambling at licensed casinos.
Tx sports betting’ s potential customers
Even if the sports betting bill emerges from the Texas House, it faces an uphill battle in the Senate.
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick repeatedly states that gambling expansion has no support among Republicans in the Senate.
Many influential figures have joined together in the Texas Sports Betting Alliance (SBA) to support sports betting efforts. Alliance members include all the Texas professional sports teams and sports-wagering operators Penn Gaming (owners of Barstool Sportsbook), DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM.
Former Gov. Rick Perry, a spokesperson for the SBA, said he believes the overwhelming support across the state makes passing legislation a no-brainer. However, gaming industry research firm Eilers & Krejcik Gaming doesn’t believe that support is enough. They see “2025 as the more likely target for Texas online sports betting legalization.”
