Texas is well-known for having an extremely strict set of laws towards the gambling industry. Despite that fact, several major casino companies have been working to open gambling venues in this state. New reports claim that officials are working to shut down all of the proposed casino plans in Texas.
Gambling fans will be disappointed to hear this news. There’s still a chance for casinos to become legal here sometime this year, though. Now is a great time to talk about what is going on here.
Las Vegas Sands Pushes to Open Casinos in Texas
Casino companies around the United States have been struggling over the past year. Things became dire in March when all US casinos were ordered to shut down. States began slowly allowing their casinos to open back up over summer.
Las Vegas Sands knows first-hand how difficult this time has been. This company owns and operates many huge casino-resorts around the world. That includes Macau, a city that continues to see revenue declines. It has seen massive revenue drops over the past year and continues to see low visitation numbers at many of its properties.
For several years, LVS has been pushing to change Texas’ laws towards casinos. The Lone Star State has a zero-tolerance policy for land-based casinos. This has led nearby Oklahoma to develop one of the largest casino industries in the country.
Officials within Las Vegas Sands are trying to convince lawmakers in Texas about the massive revenue potential from this industry. With legal casinos, Texas would see millions of dollars remain in the state, rather than go to places like Oklahoma. Money talks in Texas and some lawmakers are now getting on board with this idea.
Getting the state to completely change its laws toward this industry was never going to be easy. Things are even more difficult now that casinos around the country are facing such heavy regulations. LVS continues to push for legal casinos in Texas, however, and feels change is inevitable at some point.
Not everyone agrees. One prominent official in the Texas state government claims casinos won’t open here anytime soon.
Lawmakers Continue Pushing Against the Casino Plans in Texas
Texas has a long history of intense gambling regulations. Lawmakers here banned most traditional forms of gambling decades ago. All attempts to finally embrace this industry have fallen short, despite the attempts from powerful casino companies.
Las Vegas Sands feels it’s closer than ever to making a change here. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is pushing against any of the casino plans in Texas. He claims there is still a very long way to go before Texas decides to formally embrace the casino industry.
“I’ve never been in favor of it,” Patrick said when asked about the legalization of casinos. “We are nowhere close to having the votes for it. We don’t even have a bill that has been filed in the Senate on the issue. When you don’t even have a sponsor, it’s not even a bill you spend much time on or think about. … I don’t spend much time on it because the members are just against it.”
The Lt. Governor is making his stance clear. He clearly does not want to see Texas change its laws towards casino gambling. It’s unclear how accurate his statement about the rest of the Senate members being against casinos is.
There are likely to be some in the Texas state government that see the upside in this industry. The state needs revenue right now and casinos could be an effective way to bring that money in. It will take time to convince more lawmakers such as Dan Patrick on this point.
We’ll continue offering updates on this situation over the next few months!
Major Casino Hubs Hope for Tourism Surges
Prior to 2020, the US casino industry was thriving. There was a huge amount of money coming in from casinos around the country. Major gambling hubs such as Las Vegas and Atlantic City continued to see increases in their revenue.
In March of last year, everything changed. It’s been almost a year and things are still far from fully recovered. This is still proving to be an extremely difficult time for cities that rely on their gambling industries for revenue and employment.
Las Vegas is a perfect example. This city has been one of the hardest-hit in the country from a financial standpoint. Many companies here are now hoping to see a major surge of tourism take place by the time summer rolls around.
No one knows what to expect. The global health crisis is far from over and some fear the toughest days are still ahead. It’s a difficult situation and one that could continue to drag on for quite some time.
Casino companies are staying busy in different ways. Las Vegas Sands is working on its casino plans in Texas. Perhaps this could end up being the next major casino destination in the United States.
Do you think we’ll see casinos in Texas anytime soon? Let us know in the comments section below!
Kevin Oldroyd
A longtime sports and gambling enthusiast, Kevin looks to present up-to-date and reliable information for readers. If he’s not writing, he’s probably watching MMA or playing blackjack. …
