When Will Texas Sports Betting Launch?

The legalization of Texas sports betting remains years away. At least, this is what one gaming advisory firm believes.

Eilers & Krejcik Gaming provides consultation and market research on gambling services. And according to PlayTexas, the firm recently moved Texas to their list of states that will not legalize sports betting before 2028.

Of course, this stance is not gospel. Company sentiments are not always correct. It also isn’t clear how much of a pulse Eilers & Krejcik Gaming has on the future of sports betting in Texas. After all, the firm is based out of South Carolina.

At the same time, market-research specialists tend to have a wide-ranging reach. Chances are Eilers & Krejcik Gaming has access to details from Texas policymakers as well as other outside forces that will define sports betting discussions in The Lone Star State.

On top of that, the firm’s evaluation of Texas sports betting appears rooted in precedent. In their explanation, they highlighted the repeated resistance from GOP members. The firm didn’t just cite Texas lawmakers’ overall view of retail and online sports betting in the United States. It also focused on the opposition to expanding Texas casino laws.

Here’s Why Eilers & Krejcik Gaming are So Pessimistic on the Future of Texas Sports Betting

To be sure, Eilers & Krejcik Gaming wasn’t always this down on the future of Texas sports betting. On tbhe contrary, they initially predicted Texas would legalize sports betting in 2025. So what changed? T.J. McBride of PlayTexas has the full details from Eilers and Krejcik Gaming:

“In the wake of news that Las Vegas Sands is ramping up political contributions ahead of a 2025 push to legalize casino gambling in Texas, we call attention to our recently amended sports betting legalization timeline for the second largest state. We previously projected that Texas would legalize in November 2025 via ballot measure, and then launch in fall 2026. We’ve now pushed the timeline back [one] legislative session, with legalization occurring in November 2027, and launch occurring in time for the NFL season opener in fall 2028. While the move might seem counterintuitive – the House passed an OSB bill in 2023, after all – our projection reflects the reality that the Senate is the chamber that matters, and things there are not moving in the right direction.

“Case in point: the state Republican Party platform, published in June, instructs lawmakers to oppose (1) any gambling expansion, and (2) any budget that relies on funds from expanded gambling. Incredibly, it even explicitly addresses the warmer reception gambling expansion has had in the House – the platform calls on lawmakers to ‘oppose any effort from the House leadership to pressure members to vote for expanded gambling.’”

This explanation, if accurate, isn’t just a blow for imminent Texas sports betting hopes. It also paints a bleak outlook for casino gaming in The Lone Star State.

The Push for Texas Casino Expansion Could Stifle Sports Betting Hopes

Speaking of Texas casino gaming, it turns out the push for brick-and-mortar gambling expansion could repress sports betting efforts.

Once upon a time, many believed both Texas sports betting and casino gaming could be legalized and expanded in tandem. That no longer appears to be the case. For starters, the push for casino expansion may be more of an overall priority. The majority stakeholder in Las Vegas Sands bought a controlling share of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks within the past year. Combined with purchases of other land in the area, this seems to augur stronger lobbying on behalf of casinos. To that end, Dallas officials already plan to explore the economic impact of Texas casinos on the area and state at large.

On top of that, the legalization of sports betting in The Lone Star State may require more infrastructural changes. Some think sports gambling can be regulated by the Texas State Lottery. Given the size of the market, however, many have come to believe the state must create an individual regulatory arm.

Those types of changes take time. They also have a way of inciting debates and division among the House of Representatives and Senate. Even if both chambers agree on the framework of a Texas sports betting bill, the implementation of compliance will require further negotiations.

And this presumes enough state legislators approve of a sports gambling proposal. If recent history has taught us anything, it’s that the Texas House of Representatives and Senate will diverge on the fundamental view of sports betting itself.

Can Anything Change the Outlook of Texas Sports Betting

As we said at the onset, the Texas sports betting timeline given by Eilers & Krejcik Gaming isn’t beyond reproach. Heck, the firm itself has already needed to adjust their previous prediction. They could prove to be incorrect again.

For that to happen, though, Texas likely needs to undergo major changes in the Senate. There is too much long standing resistance among Republican members to count on a policy shift. So long as the GOP party has control of the Senate, then, the status quo is unlikely to change.

Any overhaul in mentality may have to begin with new elected officials. General elections in The Lone Star State will be held in November 2024. If voters want to see sports betting legalized, they probably need to throw their support behind more moderate Republicans or members of the Democratic party.

Either scenario may be too much of an ask. Texas has long skewed toward the most conservative end of the spectrum.

Still, certain issues have a way of inciting fundamental change. Could the future of Texas sports betting wind up being one of them? We’d bet against it. But we’ll have a better idea in a few months.

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