Another Super Bowl has passed, and some Texans have sports betting on their mind. Here’s what one state lawmaker is doing to expanding gambling options.
HOUSTON, Texas — The Philadelphia Eagles are Super Bowl champions, and Channelview native Jalen Hurts took home the MVP honors. But while fans are celebrating, the Super Bowl also puts sports betting in the spotlight — especially for those who placed wagers on quirky prop bets, like the color of the celebratory Gatorade shower. Anyone who bet on yellow Gatorade is waking up a little richer this morning.
But here in Texas, that excitement doesn’t translate to winnings, because sports betting — including those popular prop bets — is illegal.
Now, some lawmakers and Texans are hoping that changes.
Texas leaders like State Sen. Carol Alvarado are pushing for casinos and sports betting to become legal here, and according to a recent University of Houston survey, there’s a lot of bipartisan support for the idea.
- 72% of Republicans support casino gambling
- 74% of Democrats favor casino gambling
- 59% of Republicans back online sports betting
- 65% of Democrats support online sports betting
This broad-based support suggests gambling expansion is not a polarizing issue along party lines.
The survey also shows that 73% of Texans favor allowing destination resort casinos in the state. This level of support is noteworthy since legalizing casinos would require a constitutional amendment.
Sports betting also received strong backing from Texas residents:
- 60% support legalizing online sports betting
- 56% favor allowing sportsbooks at professional sports venues
The high approval ratings indicate a significant shift in public opinion toward embracing large-scale gambling establishments. (To see the full survey results, click here.)
Despite this growing support, previous attempts to legalize gambling have stalled.
Last legislative session, the Texas House passed a bill that would have allowed an amendment to the state Constitution to legalize regulated gambling, but it failed in the Texas Senate.
Alvarado has been pushing for this since 2009 and is reintroducing the hot topic this legislative session. She urges Texans to weigh in.
“It’s a senate resolution that allows Texans to vote on whether or not we should have gaming in our state. It takes a constitutional amendment, so it has to get approval by the voters,” said Alvarado.
Alvarado believes that if Texans get to decide, voter approval will be overwhelming — and survey numbers seem to support that.
She also tells KHOU 11 News that, in the end, she believes legalizing gambling will diversify the state’s economy.
“This would allow for two casinos in Houston to Dallas, one in Corpus (Christi), one in the Rio Grande Valley and I think this is more than about gambling and casinos. It’s about economic development,” Alvarado said. “I think we need to diversify our economy. We weigh so heavily on oil and gas and, I think adding in this industry would make Texas a destination for tourism, but also there would be a component to have a conference and convention center so we could lure more conferences to our state.”
Just last week, Gov. Greg Abbott said he was open to sports betting in Texas, and Alvarado says that adds momentum to the push.
But while support is strong, not all Texans are on board.
“As someone who grew up in Nevada, I’ve seen what the long-term implications of having gambling does to a state. While there might be some good stuff that comes from it the bad far outweighs the good,” said Michael Flores.