GOP Members Say Texas Sports Betting Bill is Destined to Fail

With another bill that would legalize sports betting in Texas officially on the table, many are wondering if this is the year that The Lone Star State expands their gaming. If you ask members of the GOP, they would tell you not to hold your breath. Texas sports betting as well as casino gaming legalization apparently lacks the necessary amount of support.

For many, this is the expectation. The legalization of sports betting in Texas over the near term is generally considered a long shot. At minimum, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, who oversees the Senate, must first be more open to discussing and voting on the subject. Failing that, The Lone Star State must deliver an overwhelming amount of bi-partisan support on a republican-driven bill to overcome the Patrick obstacle. 

Entering 2025 legislative sessions, this was not painted as impossible. Texas Democrats have shown ample support for sports betting in the past. The same goes for Republicans in the House of Representatives, particularly last time around. If enough Republican members of the Senate flip their stance, The Lone Star State has the potential to surprise experts and insiders throughout the industry.

Then again, this presumes sports betting has the same level of support and interest as last time. As it turns out, they may not be the case.

Latest Texas Sports Betting Bill is Not Expected to Make It Past the House of Representatives

If the latest statements are accurate, the 2025 Texas sports betting proposal will fail before it ever reaches the Senate. As Jasper Scherer of The Texas Tribune writes:

“A dozen Texas House Republicans who replaced pro-gambling lawmakers said this week they would oppose ‘any attempt to expand gambling’ this session — a setback for efforts to legalize casinos and sports betting in the state. The 12 GOP freshmen were joined by three returning lawmakers who voted in 2023 to allow online sports betting, but now say they will reject any such proposal. That measure passed the 150-member House with 101 votes two years ago, narrowly clearing the two-thirds threshold needed to amend the Texas Constitution. The net loss of more than a dozen votes jeopardizes the chances of recreating that tenuous coalition, unless supporters can find votes elsewhere to make up the difference.”

Failing to make it out of the House would be a massive blow relative to efforts in 2023. That measure supposedly laid the groundwork for a breakthrough in 2025. But if the bill cannot even get referred to a committee, it won’t be voted upon by the House, let alone reach the Senate.

Now, there is still time for things to change. The 2025 Texas legislature will not adjourn until June. Of course, any Texas sports betting initiative must be referred to a committee long before then. But that at least gives members of legislative branches another month or so to change their tune and/or find more support for the bill.

With All of That Said, Sports Betting Hopes are Running Thin in The Lone Star State

Time may be on Texas sports betting side—for now. That will not be the case forever. More importantly, all the time in the world means little if there’s not enough support to back it up. It means even less if a large coalition of policymakers are actively campaigning against it.

As things currently stand, this is what’s happening in Texas. GOP members are leveraging their party’s majority by attempting not to only block an eventual vote, but prevent the initiative from being referred to a committee. From Scherer’s dispatch:

“In a letter sent Tuesday to Rep. Ken King, chair of the House State Affairs Committee, the lawmakers sought to deal a death blow to the latest proposals to legalize casinos and sports betting, both of which were filed in the House last month. Neither has been referred to a committee this session, though both went through State Affairs in 2023. ‘We are confident this legislation does not have the votes necessary to pass the Texas House this session,’ the letter reads. ‘Given the certainty of its failure, I urge you not to waste valuable committee time on an issue that is dead on arrival.’”

It would be one thing if this latter runs counter to prevailing sentiment. Instead, it appears reflective of the larger stance. 

Remember, even as online sports betting in the United States continues to surge in popularity, Texas’ legislative branches feature some of the most ardent opponents to it. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick is used as the billboard for these sentiments, but he’s not alone. He would not have had the power to avoid a Texas sports betting bill back in 2023 if that were the case. 

Prospective Timeline for Texas Sports Betting Likely Extends Past the Current Decade

Pinpointing a potential launch for Texas sports betting is largely futile when initiatives are failing to even get heard by a committee. However, the distance between sports wagering and legalization is sort of the point.

Assuming this year goes by without approval, The Lone Star State will not circle back to it until at least 2027. Even if it is successful, which is far from guaranteed, a measure cannot appear on an electoral ballot until November 2028. And if we presume voters approve it, the soonest Texas sports betting can launch is in 2029. 

That essentially takes us out of this decade. It might also still be too optimistic. 

Given the level of opposition to online sports betting in Texas is currently increasing, we should not count on much progress being made over the next two years. And if that is the case, sports betting will not arrive in The Lone Star State until after 2030.

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