Texas Lottery executive director resigns as lawmakers’ scrutiny mounts
The Texas Lottery Commission did not immediately clarify why Ryan Mindell chose to resign, as lawmakers have discussed abolishing the lottery outright. Full Story
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![Texas Lottery stand at an Austin convenience store on Feb. 20, 2025.]()
Credit: Leila Saidane for The Texas Tribune -
Lawmakers weigh moving bingo operations out of Texas Lottery’s purview amid agency’s uncertain future
A possible reassignment of the charitable games comes as 15 bills in the Legislature seek to either alter or abolish the troubled agency. Full Story
Credit: Eddie Seal for The Texas Tribune -
Casinos and sports betting won’t win approval in Texas House, group of GOP members say
Gambling critics hope the net loss of more than a dozen votes for sports betting — and 10 votes for casinos — will be enough to block any action in the Texas House. Full Story
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![Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud hands off to safety M.J. Stewart during the first half match against the Kansas City Chiefs in a 2025 AFC divisional round game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri on Jan. 18, 2025.]()
Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images via REUTERS -
Texas Lottery commissioner resigns as agency faces legislative scrutiny
Clark Smith, one of five members of the commission, stepped down Friday as lawmakers have raised questions about the role of lottery couriers and agency governance. Full Story
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![A Texas Lottery display at Winners Corner, a board game, lottery and gift store, in Austin on Feb. 20, 2025.]()
Credit: Leila Saidane for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Lottery ticket sales to third-party services fuel controversy and questions about the agency’s future
While the Lottery Commission says it can’t regulate sales to couriers, lawmakers want changes after two major jackpots were won using those services. Full Story
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![Texas Lottery cards at a 7-Eleven in Central Austin on Feb. 20, 2025.]()
Credit: Leila Saidane for The Texas Tribune -
Casino and sports betting companies press for a win in Texas despite Senate opposition
With plenty of patience and money, the industry is extending its multi-year campaign to bring legal casinos and sports betting to the state. Full Story
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![A gambler stacks chips at a roulette table during the reopening of Bellagio hotel-casino, in Las Vegas, Nevada, on June 4, 2020.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Steve Marcus -
Dade Phelan, House incumbents receive major fundraising boost from casino magnate
Incumbents saw key support from the business community, while hardline conservatives like Tim Dunn also spent heavily. Full Story
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![David Covey and Dade Phelan.]()
Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune -
With the Mavericks, Miriam Adelson is poised to be a Texas political powerhouse. Will it help her legalize casinos?
Adelson wasted little time reaching out to the state’s business leaders since news of the deal broke, visiting Austin on Thursday to address the Texas Association of Business, the state’s largest business lobby. Full Story
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![Miriam Adelson delivers a keynote speech at the Texas Association of Business Policy Conference on Dec. 7, 2023, in Austin.]()
Credit: Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribune -
Effort to allow casinos falls short in Texas House
Facing a rigid deadline, gaming supporters were unable to get the supermajority support needed to move the legislation forward. Full Story
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![A cup with the message "I'd rather be a the casino" sits on the desk of state Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, on the House floor at the state Capitol on April 6, 2023.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
In dramatic vote, Texas House approves online sports betting measure
A resolution to let voters decide whether to legalize casino gambling, however, was delayed for a day while supporters worked to find enough support for passage. Full Story
![A gambler stacks chips at a roulette table during the reopening of Bellagio hotel-casino, in Las Vegas, Nevada, on June 4, 2020.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Steve Marcus -
Bills to expand gambling access in Texas clear House committee
Gaming advocates are pushing to legalize casinos and sports betting in Texas. The committee votes represent more progress than the proposals made last legislative session, when they got hearings in committee but were never voted out. Full Story
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![Gene Koonce plays on a craps table fitted with protective plexiglass panels during the reopening of Bellagio hotel-casino, closed since March because of COVID-19. Las Vegas, Nevada on June 4, 2020.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Steve Marcus -
Texas business interests and family values collide as lawmakers debate legalizing gambling
House Bill 1942, written by Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, would permit regulated sports betting that is already legal in 29 states. House Bill 2843, by Rep. John Kuempel, R-Seguin, would permit casino gambling in Texas. Full Story
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![The gaming floor inside Resorts World Hudson Valley casino in Newburgh, New York on Dec. 21, 2022.]()
Credit: Patrick Oehler/Times Herald-Record via REUTERS -
Sports-betting advocates return to Capitol with narrower bill, new Republican author
The Texas Sports Betting Alliance threw its weight behind new legislation Monday to let voters decided whether to legalize online sports betting. Full Story
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![From left: Rep. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, and Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, discuss a property tax bill on the Senate floor on July 14, 2021.]()
Credit: Sophie Park/The Texas Tribune -
Gambling proponents have a new plan to ask Texas voters to legalize casinos
If state lawmakers agree, Texas voters will have the final say on whether the state will expand gambling and casinos this November. Full Story
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![A woman is seen reflected wearing a protective face mask, amid the coronavirus disease outbreak, outside a closed poker room in a casino in New Orleans on Aug. 30, 2020.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton -
Wanna bet? Texas Legislature to reconsider legalizing casinos and sports betting
Given the stiff headwinds to getting any expansion in gambling passed, sports betting and casino advocates may be competing against each other, rather than working in tandem. Full Story
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![Casino gambling and sports betting are again before the state Legislature in 2023.]()
Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman/The Texas Tribune -
Supreme Court sides with tribes in fight with Texas over authorized gambling on their lands
The ruling doesn’t expand the kinds of games tribes can offer on their lands but reaffirms their autonomy to regulate gambling activities that aren’t prohibited in Texas, regardless of the state’s rules. Full Story
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![An entrance to Speaking Rock Entertainment Center, the focal point of a decades long fight over gambling between the state of Texas and El Paso's Ysleta del Sur Pueblo.]()
Credit: Courtesy Robert Moore/El Paso Matters -
Las Vegas Sands launches $2 million PAC to continue its push to legalize casinos in Texas
The new Texas Sands PAC has already spread over half a million dollars across roughly three dozen primaries for the state House and Senate. Full Story
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![The Sands Expo and The Palazzo resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.]()
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Las Vegas Sands went all in on legalizing casinos in Texas. Here's why the multimillion-dollar effort did not make it far this session.
The legislation — which required voter approval — would have brought a monumental expansion of gambling to Texas, which has some of the most restrictive gaming laws in the country. Full Story
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![Gamblers play slot machines during the reopening of The D hotel-casino, closed by the state since March 18, 2020, as part of steps to slow the spread of COVID-19, in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada, on June 4, 2020.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Steve Marcus -
Analysis: Judge legislators by what gets their attention — and their neglect
As the Texas Legislature rolls into its final two weeks, it's fair to credit members with what they've done. But pay attention to what they ignored. Full Story
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Push to bring casinos to Texas appears headed for defeat this session despite high-profile campaign
A key deadline passed Monday without action in the Texas House on casino legislation backed by the gaming empire Las Vegas Sands. A measure to allow sports gambling looks similarly doomed. Full Story
![Gamblers play slot machines during the reopening of The D hotel-casino, closed by the state since March 18, 2020, as part of steps to slow the spread of COVID-19, in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada, on June 4, 2020.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Steve Marcus
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