Anything can happen during March Madness. Collegiate basketball is the best spectacle for the upset fiend. In this year’s tournament, the sporting world has seen the seeds planted for iconic Cinderella runs. While fans or curious spectators across the country will fill out brackets or place loose change on their alma mater to win the entire thing, that reality cannot be done in a place like Texas.
Texas gambling options are thin, limited to the lottery and three legal places: Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino in Eagles Pass, Speaking Rock Entertainment Center in El Paso and Naskila Gaming in Livingston. Outside those places, Texans are forced to travel to nearby states like Louisiana or seek out a local bookie or an overseas nontaxable sportsbook.
Some proponents of the legalization of gambling claim that gambling is addictive and harmful. There is no denying the harmful effects, but as with any popular vice people will continue to do it despite knowing the potential damage. Still, Texas has been missing out on major tax benefits made from betting. For a state that has been known as a favorable tax haven, Texas is two of nine states that does not tax a person’s income and does not have some form of legal sports gambling.
Take a look at the grandfather of legalized gambling, Nevada. In 2023 alone, the state of Nevada made $15.52 billion from gambling revenue alone — $481.4 million was from sports gambling alone. Nevada’s gambling tax is around 6.75 percent for sports betting. The funds made from the tax then go to the state’s general fund, with education and health services being major recipients. Look at Illinois, whose sports betting tax goes to infrastructure. Texas, a state much bigger in both population and size, could use the extra couple of dollars to fund projects and other services like the two aforementioned states, especially infrastructure.
For a while now, Mark Cuban has been a major vocal point for the legalization of sports gambling in the state of Texas. The former majority owner of the Dallas Mavericks played with the idea of building a casino for the DFW area in partnership with Las Vegas Sands. Later, Cuban sold his majority stake in the Dallas Mavericks to Las Vegas Sands owners, the Adelson and Dumont families. For a state that prides itself on being the bearer of freedom, Texas has not done enough to earn that title for the sake of the gambler and the resident who would like to spend money for fun.
Politically, that piece of legislation of the legalization of gambling is a low priority for lawmakers in the state. In a May 2023 tweet made by Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, “There is little to no support for expanding gaming from Senate GOP.” In some areas, Texas lacks innovation even with fellow Republican states. While the government is dealing with “more” important issues such as private school vouchers or the border crisis, the state needs to break out of its hardcore shell for the benefit of the risky bettor and the entire state.
