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A social price for expanded gambling?
With the Texas Legislature starting in just a week, a major player in Republican politics is warning in a new report about the potential damage of expanding gambling as casino companies build up an army of lobbyists in Austin.
A study by the influential Texas Public Policy Foundation released Tuesday warns that while expanding casino gambling would result in a new source of tax revenue, it would come with a commensurate increase in social problems, such as gambling addiction, mental illness and crime.
"Naturally, individuals with a predisposition to 'problem gambling' present a difficult policy question for lawmakers to navigate: what is the tolerable amount of human suffering to top off public coffers?" TPPF's Chief Research Officer Derek M. Cohen wrote.
While just one report, TPPF has a history of being influential with Republican players in Texas. GOP lawmakers regularly speak at their events just blocks from the Capitol and they've been a key part of pushing the school voucher program Gov. Greg Abbott has been advocating.
The TPPF warning comes as gaming interests have been feeling some momentum in pushing lawmakers to allow sports betting and casinos. While the Texas Constitution specifically bars expanded gambling, the industry has found hope in Abbott in 2022 saying he was willing to consider the idea after years of remaining silent on the topic. In 2023, the Texas House voted on an expanding gambling bill, but it fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to change the Constitution. The idea was never voted on in the Texas Senate.
In November, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who runs the Texas Senate, told WFAA's Jason Whitely that the votes just haven't been there in the Senate for them to move on the legislation.
Still, gambling interests have seen enough progress to pour much more money into lobbying in Texas — once considered a lost cause because of his constitutional prohibition. State records show that Las Vegas Sands has 103 lobbyists registered to work for them in Austin. That's up from the 74 they had in 2022 and the 19 they had four years ago.
They are hardly alone in building up their ranks in the Texas lobbying corps. The recently created Sports Betting Alliance, BetMGM, Caesar's, Boyd Gaming and Landry's Entertainment are among those contributing to the nearly 350 lobbyists in Texas who are registered to work on gambling issues — a 40% increase in just four years.
Former Gov. Rick Perry is among those who are now working with the Sports Betting Alliance to allow at least sports betting. He's made the case that millions of Texans are already participating in sports betting by either using offshore sites or going out of state. He said legalizing sports betting would bring revenues back to Texas and protect consumers.
Who's up, who's down
Up: Texas Farmers.
Even before Texan Brook Rollins officially becomes Donald Trump's Agriculture Secretary, the state's farmers are already getting a major boost thanks to that last-minute budget deal in December that included $10 billion in federal aid for farmers. Texas farmers are getting $963 million in the relief package — more than any other state according to an analysis by the University of Missouri. A big reason is because of Texas cotton growers who have been struggling with droughts and other weather issues, particularly in the South Plains around Lubbock. As for Rollins, the Glen Rose native is scheduled to go before the Senate Agriculture Committee on Jan. 15, as her confirmation process moves along.
Down: Gulf of Mexico.
President-elect Donald Trump has already proposed making Canada a state, taking back the Panama Canal, and buying Greenland from Denmark. Now, he's got his eyes on the Gulf of Mexico. During a press conference Tuesday, he said, "We are going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America." He said it has a "beautiful ring to it."
What do you think? Hit reply and let me know.
What else is going on in Texas
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Pick of the day
Photo by: Staff photographer
Texas has a new chief justice on the state Supreme Court. Gov. Greg Abbott elevated current justice Jimmy Blacklock, a Houston native, to replace retiring Chief Justice Nathan Hecht on Monday. Reporter Taylor Goldenstein has more on Blacklock's elevation here.
What else I'm reading
A Congressman from McKinney has filed longshot legislation to move the headquarters of U.S. Customs and Border Protection to Texas. Dallas Morning News reporter Joseph Morton writes that U.S. Rep. Keith Self said the agency is too far removed from the country's border with Mexico. "This will change the culture of the headquarters," Self said.
