On March 29, 2011 the Texas House Committee on Licensing and Administrative Procedures took public testimony on nine bills which would provide a variety of options for legalizing gaming in the State of Texas. Currently in Texas there are two types of acceptable gambling; the most common type of legalized gambling are lottery tickets, which can be purchased in stores all over the state. The second type of acceptable gaming can be found at Texas horse and greyhound racetracks located throughout the state.
Of the numerous options for legalizing gaming in the State of Texas, two concepts seem to stand out. Those two options are as follows:
• House Bill (HB) 2111 is a concept that would take advantage of the thirteen horse and greyhound racetracks in the state. HB 2111 would allow for the operation of video lottery games to be placed inside licensed horse and greyhound racetracks. This concept is commonly referred to as the “Video Lottery Terminal” (VLT’s) option. The advantage of utilizing these locations is that it does not increase the gambling footprint in the state.
• House Joint Resolution (HJR) 43 proposes a constitutional amendment to authorize the Texas Legislature to legalize and regulate the conduct of gaming in the State of Texas. Gambling would be legalized in counties that by local option elections approve of the conduct of gaming in their county. This would allow the idea of gaming to be handle on a county by county basis, much like the way counties throughout the state have chosen to be either dry or wet counties in relation to the sale of alcohol.
The idea of legalizing gaming in the State of Texas is one that has come up time and time again during legislative sessions. The push to legalize gaming in Texas is gaining more and more traction each session, in large part due to the casinos located, just on the other side of the Texas border. Currently, all three states bordering the State of Texas allow for a number of versions of casino gaming. Some groups estimate that in 2009 casinos located in New Mexico generated around $1.03 billion, while casinos in Oklahoma generated approximately $3.21 billion in revenue, and Louisiana casinos generated in the neighborhood of $2.5 billion. It is believed that much of this revenue is from Texans crossing over the state border.
While it is estimated that states bordering Texas have generated nearly $7 billion from gaming in large part due to Texans, according to data compiled in 2007, approximately 2.6 million Texans travelled to the city of Las Vegas and were estimated to have spent nearly $3.8 billion dollars during their stay. Regardless of the total amount being generated in other states by Texans gambling, it is clear that Texas dollars are leaving the state and generating jobs and taxes elsewhere.
If you would like to start following any of the bills mentioned in this article or any of the other gaming bills, these websites serve as a great resource:
• The Texas Legislature
• The Texas House of Representatives
• The Texas Senate
If you have questions or comments regarding any of the information mentioned in this article or any bills which have been filed, please do not hesitate to call my Capitol or District Office. As always, my offices are available at any time to assist with questions, concerns or comments (Capitol Office, 512-463-0672; District Office, 361-949-4603).
