Gov. Greg Abbott shows openness to online sports betting, but Texas senators remain unlikely to legalize it.
DALLAS — Gov. Greg Abbott this week signaled he is open to authorizing online sports betting, though his support is unlikely to sway state senators blocking its legalization.
Abbott has gradually softened his stance on gambling. In a 2015 letter, the governor wrote that he “wholeheartedly” supported state laws that prevent any expansion of gaming.
Abbott’s latest comments represent the sharpest departure from his initial stance.
“I don’t have a problem with online sports betting,” Abbott told Texas Take podcast hosts Jeremy Wallace and Scott Braddock. “I would be shocked if there’s not some Texans who do it already. It’s a very common practice and it seems to be part of the entertainment that goes along when you’re watching a football game, especially pro football, or other types of sports.”
The full podcast episode is out Friday.
A December NerdWallet survey found that 20 percent of Americans placed a bet on a sporting event in 2024. Texas is one of 11 states where sports betting is banned.
Sen. Carol Alvarado, D-Houston, has filed legislation that would authorize both casino gaming and sports betting. Voters would also need to approve the change by passing a constitutional amendment in November.
Braddock noted that legislation calling for a constitutional amendment bypasses the governor’s desk, dampening the value of Abbott’s support.
“It’s never been a priority of his and it’s still not,” Braddock said. “You’re not going to see Greg Abbott asking the Senate or the House to work on this.”
Gambling interests, including Dallas Mavericks owner Miriam Adelson, have donated millions to Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and other lawmakers in recent years. The pro-gaming lobby has become among the largest in Austin.
Still, Rice University political scientist Mark Jones said Patrick and the Texas Senate have not warmed to the idea.
“The reality is any gambling legislation will remain dead on arrival until it has the support of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick,” Jones said. “From his perspective, the societal costs of gambling — personal bankruptcy, job absenteeism, spousal and child abuse — outweigh the fiscal benefits for the state.”
Jones added that Abbott’s openness to sports betting is not likely to satisfy Adelson and other magnates, who are pushing primarily for authorization to open casino resorts in Texas. Abbott has merely expressed willingness to “take a look” at such proposals.
“Neither Tillman Fertitta nor the Las Vegas Sands is going to benefit enormously from online sports betting the same way they’d benefit from ability to construct one of two casinos in the metroplex or one of two casinos in the Houston area,” Jones said.
A bill authorizing casino gaming cleared a House committee in 2023 but fell eight votes short of advancing to the Senate. Republican lawmakers who voted in favor of gaming expansion were attacked for their position by primary challengers.
Republicans who supported the measure in 2023 may not be as willing to shirk the party platform in 2025, Braddock said.
“You probably won’t see any movement on this in the Texas House unless the Texas Senate takes it up first,” he said. “Republicans in the House don’t want to take a politically risky vote if they know it’s not going to go anywhere in the Senate.”
The casino lobby may have more luck when Texas needs the money gambling would generate. Right now, Texas has a $24 billion surplus.
“This is exactly the wrong time for the casino interests and sports betting interests to be asking the state to legalize something based on the argument of ‘more revenue,'” Braddock said.
“The legislature is not, essentially, desperate for money in the same way it might be in an era of deficits,” Jones said.
The legislative session ends in June.