Dan Patrick’s reelection dims prospects for Texas gambling expansion

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s decision to seek another four-year term is likely to prolong the stalemate over casino gambling and sports betting, with Republican leaders signaling little appetite for loosening the state’s tight gambling laws.

Patrick, who controls which bills reach the Senate floor, has repeatedly argued that Republican support is insufficient for gambling expansion. The Republican-controlled chamber has long resisted proposals on moral grounds and amid concerns about oversight, particularly after problems with the state lottery.

“It’s groundhog day,” said Mike Lavigne, an Austin-based gambling consultant. “The situation has not changed,” according to The Dallas Morning News.

Efforts to expand gambling stalled during the 2025 legislative session. Bills to put casino and sports betting amendments before voters never received hearings, erasing momentum from 2023 when the House backed sports betting 101-42 and gave 92-51 support to a casino measure that fell short of the two-thirds majority required.

The Texas Sports Betting Alliance, a coalition of online operators and 12 professional sports teams, expressed cautious optimism. “We look forward to working with the Lt. Governor, along with a changing Texas Senate, on the issue next legislative session,” spokesperson Karina Kling said. “While he has expressed concerns about sports betting in the past, we’re optimistic that with growing support among Texans, meaningful conversations about expanding sports betting can continue.”

Still, entrenched resistance remains. State Rep. Matt Shaheen, a Republican from Prosper, said: “We’re going to make sure it’s dead, that it’s six feet under.”

Sen. Bob Hall, R-Edgewood, dismissed the idea of gambling expansion with an emoji laughing so hard that tears leaped from its eyes.

Lavigne said Patrick’s role is overstated. “If I was the Sands Corporation, I’d be trying to count my Senate votes and quit worrying about Dan Patrick,” he said. “Patrick is not as big a problem as the rest of the Senate is. And if they had the votes in the Senate, Patrick wouldn’t be a problem.”

The outlook in the House is also grim. New Speaker Dustin Burrows has shown little interest in gambling, and many of the 26 Republican newcomers are either opposed or focused on other priorities. The Texas GOP platform continues to reject “any expansion of gambling, including legalized casino gambling.”