The eyes of the gaming world will once again be upon Texas in 2025, and the industry will also have boots on the ground in Austin when state lawmakers convene for their biennial session that starts in less than two months.
Gaming was also a high-profile subject when the Texas Legislature last met in 2023. A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the Texas House passed measures that would have given voters a chance to decide whether to legalize sports betting in the Lone Star State. However, that bill languished after the Senate, led by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, chose not to take it up.
Barring something unexpected, Patrick will still preside over the Senate, and he remains as dead set against gambling measures as heās ever been. That means the odds will be long for anything to get through this year, but gaming companies remain hopeful of building upon the foundation that was laid two years ago.
However, Texas sports betting isnāt the only gaming topic thatās expected to be considered next year. A similar push to legalize land-based casinos in the state died in the House in 2023 after it did not receive enough support.
Since then, Las Vegas Sands purchased a majority stake in the Dallas Mavericks, giving the state without casinos another sports franchise owner tied to the industry. Will the presence of one of the largest casino operators in the world help move the needle on letting voters decide whether to allow gaming resorts to open in the countryās second-largest state? That remains to be seen.
Sports Betting Companies Getting Front-Line Support
Recently, DraftKings posted a job posting on LinkedIn for a government affairs specialist based in Austin. While the responsibilities include managing multi-state initiatives, the Boston-based sports betting and daily fantasy operator wants someone with experience lobbying in Texas.
DraftKings has had a presence in Texas for a few years. It acquired Golden Nugget Online Gaming from Tilman Fertitta three years ago. Fertittaās portfolio includes the Houston Rockets, and the press release announcing DraftKingsā $1.56 billion purchase included a separate sponsorship deal with the Rockets that gives the sports betting giant the rights to operate a brick-and-mortar sportsbook at the Toyota Center once the state legalizes sports betting.
The submission deadline for resumes has passed, according to the LinkedIn post. Itās uncertain if the company has already made a hire, and a message to the company was not immediately returned.
DraftKings wonāt be the only company with lobbyists down in Texas. FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars and PENN Entertainment have lobbyists ā as does DraftKings ā registered with the Texas Ethics Commission. The lobbyists for FanDuel, DraftKings and BetMGM are with HillCo Partners, an Austin-based public affairs firm. HillCo lobbyists also are among the representatives for the Sports Betting Alliance, an industry group funded by BetMGM, DraftKings, Fanatics and FanDuel.
Breaking Down Texas Sports Betting Chances In 2025
Among those representing the Sports Betting Alliance in the Lone Star State is former Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Last week, Perry was asked about the chances for sports betting in 2025 during an interview on KXAN-TV in Austin. Perry declined to give a forecast, saying it was up to the legislature.
āIf youāre going to have sports betting in the state of Texas, which we have ā I mean, you turn on the TV, and you see it ā Iām a firm believer that we need to regulate it in the state of Texas and make sure that itās done properly,ā he said. āAnd the state should take its little cut off of that as well. Theyāre getting exactly zero now.ā
Thatās certainly not an optimistic viewpoint heading into a legislative session that only happens once every two years.
Further complicating matters will be the push for casino gaming. While casinos and sports betting operators do partner with one another in most states, they sometimes have different priorities. Gaming companies seeking to build billion-dollar resorts arenāt necessarily going to be supportive of a standalone sports betting measure going first.
Gaming is a unique issue in statehouses. Support and opposition transcend party lines, but there is such a thing in legislatures as gaming fatigue. If it takes a lot of work or political capital to get a standalone sports betting legislation passed, then some of those supporters will be a little weary of tackling brick-and-mortar casinos two years later.
What would be considered a success in 2025? Perhaps itās advancing the sports betting bill in the Senate and getting it before a committee in that chamber. Itās more likely that 2025 is another session to build up support for sports betting. To put it in football terms, the three yards and a cloud of dust approach is more likely to get the job done rather than a no-huddle offense.
Speaking of football, while BetTexas will keep you abreast of all movement towards sports betting, check out our Next Cowboys Head Coach Odds in the meantime.
USA Today photo by Jerome Miron.
