Casino-backed political committees tied to Las Vegas Sands are once again flooding Republican primary races across Texas, reinforcing a pattern documented across multiple election cycles.
Campaign finance records between January 1-22 show Texas Sands PAC and Texas Defense PAC working in tandem during the most recent reporting period, directing money and campaign activity toward a defined set of Republican lawmakers and candidates as the legislature continues to debate whether to legalize casino gambling in Texas.
Texas Sands PAC, which is directly funded by the Las Vegas Sands group, made contributions to a slate of incumbent Republicans and favored candidates, including Cecil Bell, Pat Curry, Jay Dean, Lacey Hull, Stan Kitzman, Marc LaHood, Jeff Leach, Janie Lopez, Morgan Meyer, and Angelia Orr.
Texas Defense PAC, a separate but allied committee funded by casino interests, focused its efforts on shaping contested primaries through independent expenditures.
That PAC supported candidates such as Jay Hardaway, Ken King, Stan Kitzman, Brett Ligon, Janie Lopez, Lisa McEntire, Kyle Morris, Willie Ng, Angelia Orr, Jackie Schlegel, Nathan Watkins, and Trent Ashby.
Both Ligon and Ashby have denounced the support coming from the casino group.
At the same time, Texas Defense PAC actively opposed several Republican incumbents who have been outspoken critics of casino gambling, including David Lowe, Terri Leo-Wilson, Mark Dorazio, and Andy Hopper. The group has also specifically targeted Cheryl Bean in the open race for House District 94.
Together the groups are on track to spend millions of dollars ahead of the Primary Election.
The activity reflects a familiar two-track strategy used by casino interests in past election cycles: direct political donations through Texas Sands PAC paired with aggressive mail, digital, and voter-contact campaigns through Texas Defense PAC.
Las Vegas Sands and its ownership have long sought to legalize casinos in Texas, arguing such projects would generate jobs and tax revenue. Critics have repeatedly warned that expanded gambling would bring increased crime, addiction, and social harm, while fundamentally reshaping the state.
Despite years of sustained spending by casino-backed groups, efforts to legalize casinos have repeatedly stalled in the Texas Legislature.
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