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Texas Governor Voices Opposition to Gaming Expansion
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott stated that he is not in favor of a potential constitutional amendment to legalize casino gaming in the state.
Despite previous favorable statements regarding the legalization of sports wagering, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has shared an oppositional stance on expanding legal gaming in the state. Abbott shared his thoughts about gaming with CBS News in Forth Worth on Dec. 7.
Abbott explains opposition to gaming amendment
During the interview, Abbott took the question of whether he supports the premise of amending the state's constitution to allow for brick-and-mortar casinos in Texas.
"I'm not there yet," Abbott replied. "I'm simply not there yet."
When pressed about why he opposes the idea, Abbott added that it is "because we've seen increasingly problems that go along with gaming. Whether it be addiction or whether it be things that are happening in sporting events and athletes that are on the take. And so, there have been more red flags raised. That caused us to have to pause, step back, take a look at this and make sure that we wouldn't do anything that would be harmful, either to the people of the state of Texas, the culture that we have in the state, or to sporting events that we have in the state."
In Texas, the process for amending the state constitution is technically independent of the governor's office. Potential amendments begin in the state legislature and then must pass a referendum of the state's voters.
However, the state's governor could influence a potential amendment process through threatening to veto other legislation if the Texas House of Representatives and Texas Senate approve a proposal to expand gaming. Furthermore, the governor will have the usual amount of power to veto any necessary enabling legislation related to the implementation of gaming expansion.
A potential amendment must get supermajority (⅔) approval in both chambers of the Texas legislature to advance to a public referendum.
Currently, the only regulated forms of gaming in Texas are the state lottery and limited tribal facilities. There is also a state provision under which some card clubs exist in certain cities.
While Abbott has voiced caution, his previous words on the subject of gaming expansion were more favorable. These comments show that he might be moved off an oppositional stance that could allow Texans to take advantage of offers like the DraftKings Casino promo code bonus for new players in the future.
Abbott's previous comments had more positive tone
In separate interviews in February 2025, Abbott took a less adversarial tone to the potential of sports wagering, although he was not asked about the possibility of online casino sites for real money.
Abbott told the Houston Chronicle's Texas Take podcast that he "doesn't have a problem with online sports betting" while stating to Fox4 that he was "in favor of…giving it to the voters and let[ting] the voters decide."
However, Abbott added in the Fox4 interview that he wants "to make sure that every mom and pop or grandma or somebody who doesn't have a lot of income is not able to go down to a local 7-Eleven or convenience store and lose money they need to be spending on food or clothing or other items like that. And so, we need to make sure that if there is anything like this that happens, that expands gaming, that we're not leading people down to a pathway of poverty. So there needs to be some guardrails put on it, even if it is presented to the voters."
The Texas legislature only meets in odd-numbered years, so 2027 would be the next opportunity for any amendment proposal to be considered. If Abbott is reelected in 2026, proponents of gaming expansion in Texas could have work to do in the governor's office.
Written by Derek Helling
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