Gov. Greg Abbott is backing away from a casino expansion effort he previously signaled openness toward, marking a significant a shift after years of high-dollar lobbying and campaign cash from casino interests failed to move lawmakers toward legalized gambling.
In a new interview with CBS 11 News, Abbott said he is “not there yet” on casino legalization, citing concerns over addiction and recent sports-betting scandals involving athletes.
“There have been more red flags raised that cause us to have to pause,” said Abbott, adding that Texas shouldn’t approve anything that would harm the state’s culture or “sporting events that we have in the state.”
That posture stands in stark contrast to early 2023, when Abbott told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram he could be open to a “gaming version of the Great Wolf Lodge,” referring to a chain of resorts. At the time, casino interests believed they had finally cracked the door in Austin, pouring millions into lobbying, advertising, and campaign accounts.
Years later, the casino lobby—pushed by Las Vegas Sands—has little to show for it.
Grassroots opposition, meanwhile, has remained immovable. The Republican Party of Texas platform explicitly opposes expanding gambling, and fiscal conservatives have warned that casinos almost always arrive packaged with tax subsidies and corporate favoritism.
That argument has proven durable, and increasingly, so has the political resistance. The casino lobby’s most recent test case—a North Texas special election for an open Senate seat—ended in defeat for casino-aligned donors and strategists despite heavy spending.
Lt. Gov. Patrick has long been the immovable object in the Senate, famously promising casino legislation would “never see the light of day.”
However, that hasn’t stopped Sands and its connected entities from continuing attempts to influence state races. Just recently, the Texas Defense PAC—funded by casino magnate and Dallas Mavericks owner Miriam Adelson—has reserved over $1 million in future television ads against State Sen. Bob Hall, an ardent gambling opponent.
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