Two nearly identical bills in the Texas Legislature would make it harder for people to successfully protest a zoning change in their city or town.
But the two bills have a key difference. While the Senate version includes an amendment to keep the current, lower standard for any form of gambling or sports wagering, the House version leaves that out — making it easier to potentially rezone an area to build a casino.
And many of the supporters of that measure, House Bill 24, have something in common: they’ve received thousands in campaign contributions from the Texas Sands PAC, a group connected to the casino and resort company Las Vegas Sands Corp.
It comes months after Las Vegas Sands proposed rezoning a mixed-use development in Irving that would have included casino gaming in its destination resort, pending legalization in Texas.
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