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A dozen republicans of the Texas Chamber who replaced professional legislators said this week that they would oppose “any attempt to widen the game” This session – a setback for efforts to legalize casinos and sports betting in the state.
The 12 first -year students of the GOP were joined by three return legislators who voted in 2023 to authorize online sports betting, but now say that they will reject such a proposal. This measure passed the house of 150 members with 101 votes Two years ago, closely cleaning of the two -thirds threshold needs to modify the constitution of Texas.
The net loss of more than a dozen votes compromises the chances of recreating this tenuous coalition, unless the supporters find votes elsewhere to make the difference.
In a letter sent to the representative on Tuesday. Ken KingChairman of the State of the State of the Chamber Committee, the legislators sought to bring a death kick to the last proposals to legalize casinos And Sports bettingBoth deposited in the house last month. None of the two was referred to a committee this session, although both went through state affairs in 2023.
“We are convinced that this legislation does not have the necessary votes to adopt Texas House this session,” said the letter. “Given the certainty of his failure, I urge you not to waste time as a precious committee on a dead question on arrival.”
A King spokesperson, R-Canadian, did not immediately respond to a request for comments.
The effort to legalize casinos in Texas has even less room for maneuver than the quota of sports betting. Two years ago, a constitutional amendment to authorize the “destination resort” casinos received 92 votes In the house, eight timid on two thirds.
Of the 15 signatories on the letter to King, nine are the first -year students of the GOP whose predecessors voted for the measure of the casino. A return member who signed the letter, rep. JM LozanoR -Kingsville, also supported the legalization of the casino – with sports betting – and now promises to oppose both.
This represents a net loss of 10 votes from the 92 which supported Casino’s proposal in 2023.
Supporters tried to influence skeptical legislators by arguing that a vote for the constitutional amendment would only put the question before the voters on the ballot on the state level and would let them decide to allow the game, by eliminating the last call of the legislators. On the other hand, regular bills become a law without this additional obstacle, as long as they avoid a veto of the governor.
A State -scale survey Led in January by the Hobby School of Public Affairs of the University of Houston revealed that 60% of Texans support legalized sports betting and 73% support the “destination destination casinos”.
Matt Hirsch, spokesperson for the Texas Destination Resort Alliance – an initiative of the Sands of Las Vegas Casino Empire – said that it was “essential for elected officials to listen to their voters and respect their right to vote”.
“Erase the Texans the possibility of voting on this question not only undermined the democratic process, but does not take into account the voices of the very people they represent,” said Hirsch in a press release. “Texas voters know that destination stations have the potential to provide significant economic advantages, the creation of jobs and an increase in tourism in Texas while eliminating the scourge of illegal games in Texas.”
Sands deployed an army of lobbyists to put pressure on the legalization of the casino in Austin, and its owner, Miriam Adelson, spent millions for the elections at home in order to develop the ranks of the supporters of the game in the Texas lower room. Eight signatories of the anti -Gambling letter accepted the contributions last year from Adelson via Texas Sands Pac – although the CAPs lined up by Adelson gave much more, collectively, to several of the signatories’ opponents.
In an apparent reference to the 2026 elections, Hirsch said that his group “will clearly indicate to the voters of each of these districts where their representative are.”
Karina Kling, spokesperson for Texas Sports Betting Alliance, said: “The survey after the survey shows that the Texans want massively the chance to vote on the legalization of sports betting and we hope that the Texas legislature will give them this chance.” The group is a collection of state professional sports teams, track races and Paris platforms, such as Fanduel and Draftings.
The efforts aimed at loosening the Texas game restrictions have failed several times since their adoption in 1856 and were tightened in 1973. The approval by the house of the sports betting in 2023 was the most distant from the chamber at the origin of the enlargement of the game, although the movement was largely symbolic, because the Lieutenant-Governor. Dan Patrick – A republican who heads the Texas Senate – immediately canceled the measurement in the upper room. Patrick said on several occasions that there was minimal support among the majority of the GOP in the Senate to extend the game.
With Patrick, 74, in power until January 2027 and promising to request another four -year term, the legislative battle on the game was centered almost entirely in the House. The supporters are targeting progressive victories in the lower room which, they hoped for it, laid the bases of the moment when the Senate will be led by a more sympathetic Lieutenant-Governor.
Disclosure: The University of Houston was a financial supporter of Texas Tribune, a non -profit non -supported press organization which is partly funded by donations of members, foundations and business sponsors. Financial supporters do not play any role in the journalism of the gallery. Find a complete List of them here.
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