Pro-gambling politicians in Texas have not waited around to get the wheels rolling on another legalisation attempt following the midterm election results.
State representative Charlie Geren has filed House Joint Resolution 52 (HJR 52), proposing a constitutional amendment that would, if passed, allow Texans to vote on 2 November 2027 on the introduction of both casino gaming and sports betting in the state.
While Texas is a well-established hold-out state in terms of gambling regulation, a host of surprise flips in the midterm elections on 3 November may well have changed the outlook for the sector.
Midterm flips
The Democrat blue wave was exemplified by results in Texas, and certain key defeats may have left the state closer to introducing new gambling legislation than at any other time since the repeal of PASPA.
Every statewide office on the ballot flipped from Republican to Democrat, with James Talarico beating Ken Paxton to the US Senate seat in the most expensive race in Senate history.
Those hoping for gambling reform will have been encouraged by a $59,000 donation that Talarico previously accepted from a political action committee backed and funded by Miriam Adelson, controlling shareholder of Las Vegas Sands.
Nonetheless, Republican Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick had long been the biggest obstacle preventing any movement in that direction, and the only indication of flexibility he had ever presented was that he would support a change if it was the overwhelming consensus of Republicans in the state senate.
No seats changed hands in the Texas state senate this year, leaving the Republicans with a 19-12 lean in their favour and meaning that overwhelming party member consensus would have remained a long shot.
However, Vikki Goodwin’s surprise victory in the Lieutenant Governor race has removed that requirement.
The gambling-sympathetic Greg Abbott was turned out of the governor’s office last week by Democrat Gina Hinojosa, who has herself previously voted down gambling legislation, but the specific constitutional distribution of legislative power in Texas means that the Lieutenant Governor’s office is unusually important in this matter.
A Citizens note penned by analysts Jordan Bender and Isabelle Slavin said: “State politics will play out over the coming years, but on the surface, Vikki Goodwin has supported the broader expansion of commercial casinos and online sports betting through voter referendums.”
The terms of regulation
A voter referendum is exactly what Geren has proposed in HJR 52, but the long-serving Fort Worth representative has been here before.
In 2023, he led attempts to bring another amendment regarding casinos and sports betting, and though it passed the House with bipartisan support, it eventually found Dan Patrick in its way.
On this occasion, Geren has asked the legislature to authorise and “strictly regulate” casino gaming and sports betting with eight specific constraints.
If passed, state government would have to define the activities, create a licensing framework, determine the venue locations, restrict casino gaming to physical premises, keep to a maximum of 10 casinos, cap tax at 15% of GGR, prohibit additional taxes, and come to a compact with the Tribal Gaming operators in the state.
Online casino is therefore off the cards in this particular bid for regulation.
What does the resolution need to pass?
A joint resolution requires approval from both chambers acting together – it would need to proceed through both chambers with a two-thirds supermajority and acquire voter approval to pass.
Governor-elect Hinojosa’s views are, in fact, non-material in this specific situation, as the resolution does not require the governor’s signature.
The lieutenant governor presides over the Senate and possesses various tools to help quash the resolution, though with Goodwin in place, the highest hurdle may have already been cleared.
Where her predecessor Patrick withheld his support in the absence of two-thirds Republican senate approval, Goodwin may well aid the resolution on its way, though it would still require two-thirds of the entire state Senate to have a chance of passing.
That would require 21 of 31 votes in the Senate and 100 of the 150 House members. If such support is there, securing a simple majority for voter ratification would likely not be an issue with historic polling suggesting public support for both land-based casino developments and online sports betting.
Before any of this due process can take place, the resolution will now pass to the speaker of the Texas House, who will refer it to a standing committee for consideration, though this won’t happen until the legislature convenes on 12 January 2027.
Dingnews.com 12/11/2026