Meet The New Texas Betting Bill Around Being Floated Around

The state of Texas is unique in that it meets once every two years to make legislative changes, whereas most states are yearly. Well, 2025 is a time for a new meetup. In fact, Texas has already begun its brand-new legislative session.

Expected to be a major talking point this year is sports betting in Texas. As it stands, the Lone Star State is one of only 11 without a legal sports betting market in the United States. Of those 11 without betting, Texas is especially notable due to its sports-rich population and the fact that the state prides itself on being the most “free.”

Anyways, there’s a brand-new betting bill that’s being floated around in Texas. In this article, we’ll explain what it is and most importantly, how realistic its chances are. Stick with us cause this is important!

Meet Senate Joint Resolution 16

What’s this new 2025 bill? That would be Senate Joint Resolution 16 or SJR 16 for short. This one comes courtesy of Sen. Carol Alvarado, a Democrat based out of Houston. SJR 16 would allow Texas voters to approve a constitutional amendment legalizing a host of things — casino gaming at destination resorts, sports betting on phsycials casino and mobile betting apps, and the creation of the Texas Gaming Commission to oversee it all.

SJR 16 has similar ideas to bills of the past. For instance, this concept of destination casinos has long been talked about. What is a destination casino? Well, it’s a mixed-use facility that would house a casino, hotel, restaurants, shopping, and entertainment — like something you’d find in Las Vegas. The multi-facility part is a key selling point in this whole thing.

“People don’t just go to Las Vegas to gamble; they go for entertainment and huge conventions,” said Tilman Fertitta, the owner of both the Houston Rockets and Golden Nugget Casino. “We’re letting people go right across the border. Go look at my parking lot (at Golden Nugget in Lake Charles, Louisiana). It’s all Texas license plates.”

SJR 16 calls for the creation of six of these resorts throughout the state. Two a piece in the Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston-Pearland-The Woodlands areas, along with one in San Antonio-New Braunfels, Corpus Christi, and McAllen-Edinburg-Mission MSAs.

The bill fills in details on what it would take to create these reports. For instance, a casino in Houston — one of the nation’s most populous cities — would have to cough up a $2.5 million fee and commit to spending at least $2 billion on the project. No state or local funds would be allowed for use too. The plan also calls for a 15 percent tax on casino gaming revenue, but any non-gaming profits wouldn’t be taxed.

SJR 15 would need two-thirds majority support in both the House and Senate. After that, it would go to a public vote for final approval.

Legalizing Chances Are “Bleak”

Let’s cut to the chase, how likely are Texas’ chances at passing legislation this year, whether it be SJR 16 or something? Well, “bleak” according to one insider.

“I would say the chances are bleak, if not very bleak, that this is going to go anywhere,” said Renée Cross, who is executive director of the University of Houston’s Hobby School of Public Affairs.

She believes the state has made some progress, but not enough to get a bill passed. The biggest obstacle in the eyes of Cross? That would be the Senate, which surprise surprise, is dominated by the Republican Party. On the party’s official platform, there’s actual language against the legalization of any type of gambling. It specifically says that it “opposes any expansion of gambling, including legalized casino gambling.” That’s a warning shot if ever one.

Cross didn’t mention this person’s name specifically, but we can read the tea leaves enough to know she’s also pointing toward Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. He leads these Senate Republicans and effectively acts as the right-hand man to Gov. Greg Abbott. Patrick has repeatedly said he won’t allow the legalization of betting in his state. We mean, we could write an entire article purely using real-life negative quotes from Patrick at this point.

But it’s not just Cross who knows Patrick is THE problem. The state’s most famous sports figure, Jerry Jones, is saying the same thing out loud. Here’s a whopper of a line from the Dallas Cowboys owner:

“We’re almost at a point where if the legislation doesn’t come out of the Senate reflecting the will of the lieutenant governor and the majority of Republicans, it might not be worth the effort in the House to symbolically bring it to the floor,” Jones said.

When Jones brought up the House bringing it to the floor, he’s referring to 2023’s failed try at legalization. That’s the last time Texas legislators met. During 2023, a sports being bill passed the Texas House of Representatives for the first time ever. That was a landmark win, but it was quickly undone in the Texas Senate, which didn’t even consider the bill.

You never want to say never when it comes to legal Texas betting. But we just don’t see it happening in 2025 despite the latest efforts.