Texas Casinos Looking Unlikely

While there has been a bill introduced in the state of Texas that would see legal casino gambling in the Lone Star State, it's highly unlikely that anything will pass soon, however there are many that believe a change in the current law is on the way. Texas is often associated with gambling, after all, the most popular poker game today, Texas Hold'em is named after the state, and it often comes as a surprise to many outsiders that there is no Texas casino gambling, however Bill HB 3839 seeks to change that.

The bill, introduced by Rep. Joe Deshotel needs 100 votes and a Senate sponsor to go anywhere and that's unlikely to happen, and Deshotel admits that he's fighting an uphill battle. This bill is slightly different in it has earmarked funds raised by Texas casino gambling to be put toward the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, an insurance pool system for homeowners who live on the Gulf coast, an area that's regularly hit by hurricanes. The severity of the storms means that insurance policies are too high, and the pooling system is the only option, however it seems even that is unlikely to swing the votes.

The plan would be to allow 8 casinos to be built in Texas in first tier coastal counties, or second tier counties, or those within 100 miles of of either, and those casinos would be Las Vegas styled casino resorts. The argument in favor of the casinos is that currently, those residents of Texas who wish to indulge in a little casino action travel to Louisiana or Oklahoma to do so, thus losing the state masses of valuable tax revenue, revenue that they could well do without losing, and of course the case against any legal casino style gambling in the state comes from religious groups and those concerned about the impact it would have on some people.

Texas does of course have a state lottery and allows horse racing betting and many residents simply cannot see the sense in allowing those two forms of gambling and not casinos, and although this bill may not garner the support it requires, there is hope for the near future, and until then Texas residents will keep visiting nearby states, or enjoying casino games online in the many US online casinos that accept them.