House comes close to allowing Texans to decide on casinos, sports gambling
The Texas House came close to approving resolutions to expand gambling in the Lone Star State on Wednesday evening, but fell short of the votes needed to advance the constitutional amendments.
AUSTIN (Nexstar) — The Texas House came close to approving resolutions to expand gambling in the Lone Star State on Wednesday evening, but fell short of the votes needed to advance the constitutional amendments.
Since both measures propose to change the Texas Constitution, there's a higher threshold of votes needed for the legislation to pass out of the House, needing support from two-thirds of the members to advance. If both of these proposals eventually pass both chambers, Texas voters will ultimately get to decide whether to legalize casino gambling and sports betting.
The sports betting resolution, HJR 102, came just three votes shy of the needed 100 votes to pass. Its author, Rep. Jeff Leach, (R-Plano), said he is "hopeful and expectant" that he will get all 100 votes needed tomorrow. Two members Democratic members who voted "absent" — Reps. Genu Wu and Yvonne Davis — did vote in favor of the casino gambling measure and Speaker Dade Phelan voted present/not voting, which is standard for the speaker.
For the casino gambling proposal, HJR 155, proponents will need to garner more support in order to get it across the finish line, as it fell eight votes shy of the 100 votes needed.
The razor-thin voting margins are a sign of the tension between opponents and supporters that have been seen on the gambling issues throughout the session.
Sports betting in particular garnered more buzz this year with a swath of support from professional sports leagues and teams and even former Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Those in favor of sports wagering point to the illicit online market in which hundreds of thousands of Texans already participate in. Supporters of both measures also say legalizing commercial casinos and sports betting will bring in revenue to the Lone Star State that is currently going to neighboring states where the wagering is legal.
"We have watched other states benefit from Texas gambling for too long," said Rep. Charlie Geren, (R-Fort Worth), author of the casino bill.
Opponents of betting legislation have raised concerns about the social consequences of gambling, like addiction and its subsequent issues. It's a worry often raised by conservative religious groups in Texas and one that has been echoed by Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, who has implied that he will not bring either measure in the Senate to a vote.
During floor debate on the casino bill, opponents implied their hours-long consideration was a waste of time, given its uphill battle in the Senate.
"This bill is not going anywhere. This bill is dead," said Rep. Matt Shaheen, (R-Plano).
Both measures will have a chance at redemption during House debate on Thursday.