Dallas City Council Emerging as Key Player in Future Texas Sports Betting Talks

It sure seems like the Dallas city area will play a major role if and when Texas sports betting gets legalized.

More specifically, the Dallas City Council seems to have taken a pretty definitive stance on gambling expansion in The Lone Star State. They already expected to push for further exploration of Texas casinos and destination resorts. Now it seems like they will be shaping the 2025 legislative agenda in a way that ensures sports betting makes its way on to, if not atop, the docket.

What’s happening exactly? And how much does it matter? That’s what we’re hoping to figure out.

Dallas City Council Votes to Put Texas Sports Betting on the 2025 Legislative Agenda

Earlier this summer, the Dallas City Council voted to include legal gambling on the 2025 Texas legislative agenda. Though this measure isn’t aimed at sports betting alone, it paves the way for additional conversation. It also guarantees said conversation will be a priority.

Here is Phil West of PlayTexas with the full details:

“The Government Performance and Financial Management (GPFM) Committee voted 4-1 on Monday to include support for statewide legalization of gambling and card rooms as part of [Dallas’s] state legislative agenda, the full Dallas City Council — 14 members, plus the mayor, with eight votes needed to any measure to pass — is expected to take up the full legislative agenda in September.

"Council Member Chad West said that the GPFM vote gives a partial picture of who supports gambling on the council.  Paula Blackmon, Jesse Moreno, and Jaime Resendez joined him as yes votes and Cara Mendelsohn was the lone dissenting voice on the five-member committee. He encouraged Dallas residents to communicate with their council members. He provided an overall positive assessment of progress, noting, ‘I do feel like there is somewhat of a groundswell of support on [the] City Council.’”

This result is not particularly surprising. Dallas has the biggest city population in Texas. As a result, its political views tend to skew more prop-business. And the legalization of sports betting in Texas would be great business for the most populous part of the state.

Plus, this stance was telegraphed. The majority stakeholder in the Las Vegas Sands corporation recently purchased a controlling stake in the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks. They also bought up important land in the area. Those transactions align with the overall view communicated here by the Dallas City Council.

How Much Does This Decision by the Dallas City Council Matter?

It would be egregious to say that the Dallas City Council has zero influence over the future of Texas sports betting. As policy shapers for the state’s biggest city, their collective stance of support is obviously important.

At the same time, this latest development is hardly the end-all, be-all. For starters, a Texas sports betting bill was already expected to make its way on the 2025 legislative agenda. Dallas’ recent vote likely does nothing more than elevate its priority status—if that.

In terms of influence over legalization, the Dallas City Council is limited. They are at the behest of the other chambers. Council Member Chad West, a vocal supporter for expanding gambling in Texas, recently noted as much. He also confirmed that Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick as well as Governor Greg Abbott continue to loom as roadblocks. As he explained (via PlayTexas):

“Unless they are supportive of the concept of moving forward, it’s going to be hard for the legislature to whip enough votes to get it done. With that being said, it is possible, and it doesn’t hurt for Dallas to be supportive to let them know that we want to be on the forefront if and when the state does decide to legalize gambling. What needs to happen is we really need to see a bipartisan effort with a courageous and respected Republican and Democrat to partner up at the state legislature. [It’s} even better if we get a senator to join in as well to work on legalizing it.”

These are sentiments that have been expressed previously. Nothing has come from it. But with online sports betting in the United States on the rise, the increased popularity could materially help Texas’ chances.

What’s The Texas Sports Betting Outlook Ahead of 2025?

If we had to give one word that describes the trajectory of Texas sports betting in 2025, we’d elect to go with “unclear.”

So much can change between now and the legislative sessions. In fact, a lot will change. General elections will be held in November of 2024. New officials will invariably wind up in office. And if those policymakers are more open to legal sports betting in Texas, any future measures have a better chance of passing.

Nevertheless, The Lone Star State must still grapple with Lieutenant Governor Patrick and Governor Abbott. Neither has expressed a ton of support or a willingness to bend. And given how much influence they have over not just their party lines, but the legislative agenda, a bi-partisan push may not be enough to sway them.

On the contrary, the most recent Texas sports betting bill that gained traction included some republican support. One of the chief sponsors was considered an ally of Lieutenant Governor Patrick to boot. Mr. Patrick still claimed there wasn’t enough support at the Senate level to advance.

Perhaps that’s the ultimate solution: getting a handful of republican senators who support Texas sports betting to take center stage. Do enough of those lawmakers exist? And are they willing to be the face of what’s still considered a divisive issue? We’ll have to wait and see. 

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