This week, the Texas Legislature took steps to strip power from the Texas Lottery Commission, possibly setting the agency up for abolition, and Las Vegas Sands’ casino plans suffered a setback in Irving at the hands of outraged citizens.
On Monday, State Sen. Mayes Middleton (R-Galveston) laid out Senate Bill 1721 in the State Affairs Committee. It would transfer the administration of bingo games in Texas from the Lottery Commission to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
According to Middleton, the bill is the result of recent controversies surrounding the lottery, which has seen unprecedented levels of scrutiny for rigged operations.
When the lottery commission was momentarily abolished in 2013, one of the points of contention was bingo dying alongside the lottery. Middleton’s measure separating the two would make the abolition of the lottery more straightforward, should lawmakers pursue that option.
Like lottery games, bingo benefits its purveyors and a virtuous cause: veterans. Last year, the lottery funded veterans’ programs to the tune of $26.8 million.
Interestingly, Middleton’s measure to separate bingo is not included as a portion of lottery sunset legislation, which Middleton also filed. This may seem like a contradiction, but it should be noted that, on occasion, agency sunset measures stall, and stop gaps are passed to temporarily extend them.
This is precisely what happened to another gambling vector in Texas last session. Lawmakers gave the Texas Racing Commission, up for sunset review in 2021, a reprieve from abolition. They mandated changes be made by 2027, when they will revisit the possibility of abolishing the agency.
It’s possible that the Texas Lottery could be on a similar trajectory in 2025.
When introducing his measure to ban lottery couriers operating in Texas, State Sen. Bob Hall (R-Edgewood) noted that on a hierarchy of administration complexity, bingo and lottery are at the bottom of the totem pole.
During a September 2024 Sunset Commission hearing, State Sen. Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo) noted that revenues to the state before and after the lottery was created remained flat. The state is not likely to lose money if the lottery goes away.
At two separate hearings this week in Irving, citizens showed up in force to oppose a planning variance to build a casino. Ultimately, Sands asked the city council to pull the language allowing the construction of a casino from the development request.
Sands currently operates no casinos in America and derives most of its revenue from China.
