Texas Governor Now Supportive of Online Sports Betting
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, R, indicated this week that he’s sympathetic to seeing online sports betting in the Lone Star State.
Greg Abbott, pictured above. The Texas governor showed some support this week for online sports betting. (Image: Texapedia)
On Tuesday, Abbott said during the Houston Chronicle’s Texas Take podcast, “I don’t have a problem with online sports betting.”
“The reality is that I’d be shocked if there were not some Texans that do it already,” he added.
The support shown by Abbott comes after prior statements that indicate he was softening his position on gambling in Texas.
Experts Weigh In
In 2023, Abbott signaled that he was no longer opposed to the legalization of gambling in Texas, and this recent statement underscores his explicit support for legislation in the 2025 biennial legislative session which would legalize online sports betting in Texas, in addition to his prior expressed support for destination resort casinos and for online sports betting more generally,” Mark P. Jones, a Rice University professor, told Casino.org.
“The reality is … that when pro-gambling forces evaluated the principal obstacles standing between them and their goals in Austin this year, Governor Abbott was never one of them,” Jones added.
The “principal obstacle” is the Texas Senate where a majority of the Republican Caucus along with Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, R, “continue to oppose the legalization of online sports betting and destination resort casinos Texas,” Jones explained.
If Patrick made the same statement as Abbott in support of online sports betting, “it would have been a game-changer for pro-gambling forces,” according to Jones.
While pro-gambling groups should welcome Abbott’s explicit support in the hope it ratchets up some pressure on the Texas Senate, it should at most be considered a minor victory, in sharp contrast to a similar statement by Patrick, which would be a major victory, and signal that legalized casino and/or online sports gambling would be a virtual certainty in Texas by 2026.”
In addition, Brandon Rottinghaus, a professor at the University of Houston, told Casino.org that Abbott’s statement “is certainly a greenlight for proponents to push sports betting ahead because they will need his political might to move legislation forward.”
Rottinghaus, like Jones, is watching what Patrick may say about gambling.
Rottinghaus called Patrick the “biggest hurdle… Without both officials rowing in the same direction, the boat won’t go.”
Gambling Legislation Introduced
A bill, Texas Senate Joint Resolution 16, which was written by state Sen. Carol Alvarado (D-Houston), was introduced already. If approved, the legislation will clear the path for a statewide vote on casinos and gaming in Texas.
A survey from the University of Houston’s Hobby School of Public Affairs released on Tuesday revealed that 73% of Texans questioned support legalizing, constructing, and operating destination resort casinos in Texas.
That contrasts with 60% of Texans questioned saying they support legalizing online sports betting in Texas, the survey revealed.
https://www.casino.org/news/texas-governor-now-supportive-of-online-sports-betting/