Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has previously said there is not enough support from lawmakers to pass a bill allowing casinos in Texas.
AUSTIN, Texas — You may have seen a TV ad recently urging lawmakers to “let Texans vote on destination resorts.” The advertisements, produced by the Texas Destination Resort Alliance, aim to drum up lawmaker support for casinos in Texas – where they are currently banned.
What’s the story behind these ads and who’s behind them? Let’s break it down.
What is the Texas Destination Resort Alliance?
Texas Destination Resort Alliance TDRA) is a political action committee, or PAC, that describes itself as a coalition of Texans who are “asking state legislators to allow us the opportunity to vote yes on a statewide constitutional amendment authorizing the development of destination resorts in the state’s major markets.”
The PAC, which initially launched in 2021, is funded by Las Vegas Sands Corp.
Who are the Las Vegas Sands Corp.?
Las Vegas Sands Corp. is a casino and resort company. Despite its corporate headquarters being located in Las Vegas, the company does not currently operate any resorts in the U.S. Five of its six existing resorts are located in Macao, and the other is in Singapore.
The company’s chairman is CEO Robert G. Goldstein. Its president and COO is Patrick Dumont, whose family owns the majority controlling interest in the Dallas Mavericks.
Why does the Texas Destination Resort Alliance say they want to bring casinos to Texas?
TDRA claims Texas is losing money by not allowing casinos to be built here.
The PAC says Texans spend billions of dollars each year on gaming in neighboring states like Louisiana, Oklahoma and New Mexico. TDRA says by allowing casinos, Texas could generate revenue that could go to things like school funding, create new jobs and bolster international and out-of-state tourism.
What are the chances Texas will pass a casino gaming law?
The cards are stacked against casinos in Texas.
Back in November, Y’all-itics spoke about the issue with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who said passing a gaming law doesn’t have enough support from lawmakers.
“When we finished this last session, no one called and said, ‘Oh, you didn’t pass the casino bill.’ It’s not on anyone’s top 20 list,” Patrick said. “It doesn’t mean there aren’t people who really want it. But like anything else … it really bubbles up from the ground to tell a House member or a senator that they want this legislation to pass. And that just has not happened.”
The lieutenant governor said in the interview that Las Vegas Sands Corp. has been the most vocal.
“The casino people have tried, ‘Well, it’s all about the Senate, it’s all about Dan Patrick, or it’s all about whomever.’ No. They’ve never worked the vote. They’ve come in and spent millions and millions and millions of dollars and they just think well magically it happens,” Patrick said.
A casino bill came within eight votes of passing out of the House during the 2023 legislative session, but Patrick said every Democrat supported that legislation, dooming it.
“You don’t pass major legislation in a red, conservative state with the Democrats controlling the show, particularly on a major bill like that,” he said. “I’m not leading the parade on it. I’m not stopping the parade on it. But we do not pass bills where only 20% or 25% of the elected officials support it. We just don’t do that on any bill.”
A bill – Senate Joint Resolution 16, authored by State Sen. Carol Alvarado (D-Houston) – has been filed this session to try to authorize gaming and casinos in Texas.
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