It would be wrong to paint the scenario as Texas Governor Greg Abbott doing a 180-degree turn when it comes to the legalization of gambling in his state.
Abbott was never really a proponent of the idea. He could be most accurately described as previously holding a lukewarm indifference to the notion.
Today, however, it’s apparent where he stands on the issue, and it’s not on the side of legalization.
"I'm not there yet,” Abbott said in an interview with
CBS News Texas.” I'm simply not there yet."
In 2023, when asked a similar question regarding making the required change to the Texas Constitution to allow for the legalization of gambling in the state, Abbott’s response was much closer to sitting on the fence when it came to the issue. He suggested that he could be open to the idea. Not exactly a ringing endorsement. At the same time, it wasn’t a straight-out dismissal.
What is behind Abbott’s change of heart?
So, what happened to cause Abbott to swing back to the definitive no side of the issue? He pointed to developments in the states where gambling is legal that are giving him pause toward the concept of legalized gambling in Texas.
“We've seen increasingly problems that go along with gaming,” Abbott said. “Whether it be addiction or whether it be things that are happening in sporting events and athletes who are on the take.
“And so, there have been more red flags raised. That caused us to have to pause, step back, take a look at this and make sure that we wouldn't do anything that would be harmful, either to the people of the state of Texas, the culture that we have in the state, or to sporting events that we have in the state."
Abbott’s current stance is more in line with his party. The Republican Party in Texas is strongly opposed to the legalization of sports betting or casinos in the state. Texas Lieutenant-Governor Dan Patrick has long been an outspoken critic of the idea. Fiscal conservatives and religious groups in the state are adamantly opposed to the legalization of any form of gambling.
Some high-powered people support legal Texas gambling
Interestingly, Abbott’s anti-gambling stance arrived at the time as he was
appointing Patrick Fertitta
to the University of Houston System Board of Regents. Fertitta’s family are owners of the NBA’s Houston Rockets. The Fertittas are also the operators of Golden Nugget Casino. They’ve long been proponents of legalized gambling in the state.
Other prominent Texans have also sought to get casinos and sports betting legalized in Texas. That list includes billionaire Mark Cuban and Sands Casino operator Miriam Adelson, owners of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks. Jerry Jones, owner of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, is a staunch advocate of the legalization of sports betting in the state.
Any legalization of gambling in Texas would first require the people to vote in favor of it through a state-wide referendum. It would also necessitate a supermajority of state lawmakers to vote for the necessary constitutional change to permit gambling to be legalized.
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