As support for casino gambling grows in the Republican-controlled Texas House, a new poll from Texas Family Project reveals the state’s Republicans don’t support the movement.
Earlier this year, Gov. Greg Abbott signaled support for legalizing casino gambling in Texas, and the state House moved to expand gambling possibilities. However, the Texas Senate has refused to give support for the proposal.
TFP recently published a poll of Texas Republican voters. The poll reveals casino gambling does not have support among Texas Republicans.
Eight-four percent of Republican primary voters believe gambling can be just as addictive as drugs or alcohol. The poll also found many respondents do not regularly partake in any form of gambling.
While only 4 percent of GOP voters have made a bet online and 16 percent have placed a bet at a casino or horse track in the past year, 47 percent of Republican voters said they participate in lottery ticket purchasing.
Although the majority of Republican voters disapprove of casino gambling in Texas, a large number of lobbyists in favor of casino gambling have made their presence known at the Texas Capitol.
Several pieces of legislation in support of bringing casinos to Texas and/or expanding the footprint of legalized gambling were filed in the Texas House of Representatives by Republican lawmakers.
However, both the Texas GOP and Republican voters have voiced their disapproval of the legislation.
“Casino lobbyists and special interests can say what they want, but Texas Republicans know the truth,” said Austin Griesinger, the policy director at TFP.
“We hear from the casino lobbyists that Texas is missing out on revenue from citizens who have to go out of state to gamble, yet our polling shows only 16 percent of Texas Republicans have done so in the past 12 months,” Griesigner stated. “The only thing Texas is ‘missing out on’ is the crime, corruption, and increased welfare costs that come with casino gambling.”
The entire TFP poll can be viewed here.
