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Texas Governor Greg Abbott has poured cold water on hopes for destination casinos in the state, saying he does not currently support changing the constitution to allow resort-style gambling.
Speaking to CBS News Texas while campaigning in North Texas, Abbott said he is “not there yet” on backing a casino amendment and stressed growing concern about gambling-related harm.
“I’m not there yet. I’m not there yet,” Abbott said when asked if he would support a constitutional change to legalise casinos. He pointed to “increasingly problems that go along with gaming – whether it be addiction or whether it be things that are happening in sporting events and athletes who are on the take,” adding that he wants to be sure the state does not do anything “harmful either to the people of the state of Texas, the culture that we have in the state, or to sporting events that we have in the state.”
Under this stance, what does it mean for resort-casino plans?
Under proposals that have circulated in Austin over the last several sessions, Texas would allow a limited number of large “destination resorts” with casino floors in and around Dallas–Fort Worth, Houston, and other major metros. Those plans require a constitutional amendment, which in turn needs two-thirds support in both the House and Senate before going to voters in a statewide referendum.
Casino groups led by Las Vegas Sands, along with Texas-based investors such as Tilman Fertitta and Miriam Adelson, have spent several years lobbying for that framework, arguing that Texans already travel to Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Nevada to gamble and that the state is losing jobs and tax revenue as a result.
Abbott’s latest comments signal that, at least in the near term, the governor is not prepared to put his political weight behind a casino push – even as industry pressure mounts and public polling shows majority support for some forms of expanded gambling. A University of Houston survey earlier this year found roughly three-quarters of voters back casino expansion in Texas.
A split message: open to sports betting, cautious on casinos
In a separate interview earlier this year, Abbott said he had “no problem with online sports betting,” describing it as part of the entertainment that already surrounds professional football and other sports and acknowledging that many Texans likely bet through unregulated channels today.
By contrast, his Fort Worth comments suggest that full-scale casino resorts raise a different set of issues for him: problem gambling, match-fixing risks, and broader cultural concerns. That distinction matters for operators and sports leagues backing the Texas Sports Betting Alliance, which has focused on regulated online wagering, and for casino developers seeking billions in resort investment.
Political headwinds in the Senate
Even if Abbott were to soften his position later, casino legislation still faces steep odds in the Senate. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, who controls the upper chamber’s agenda, has repeatedly said there is not enough Republican support to move casino or sports-betting bills and has blocked previous attempts despite heavy lobbying.
A 2023 House resolution to legalise online sports betting scraped through on a narrow vote, the furthest any gambling expansion measure has advanced in recent decades, but it stalled immediately in Patrick’s chamber.
Conservative groups have also stepped up opposition. The Texas Public Policy Foundation, an influential Republican-aligned think tank, has warned that new casinos could increase addiction, mental-health pressures, and crime, asking lawmakers, “What is the tolerable amount of human suffering to top off public coffers?”
Industry likely to double down on long-game strategy
Abbott did not completely rule out future movement on casinos, framing his position as a pause while he weighs the risks. For now, however, the path to destination resorts in Dallas or Houston remains blocked by both the governor’s caution and entrenched opposition in the Senate – leaving operators focused on smaller wins, such as online sports betting, while neighbouring markets continue to capture the bulk of Texans’ casino spend.
Source: CBS News
