Gov. Abbott rejects Texas push to green-light casinos: “I’m simply not there yet”

In a weekend interview in Fort Worth with CBS News Texas political reporter Jack Fink, as part of the Eye on Politics series, Governor Greg Abbott  delivered one of his clearest public positions to date on the future of casino gambling in Texas. While the discussion also covered his reelection plans and an aggressive property tax agenda, it was Abbott’s carefully chosen words on gaming that set the tone for how far the state still is from legalizing casinos.

When Fink asked him directly whether he supports amending the Texas Constitution to allow casino gambling, Abbott answered without hesitation. “I’m not there yet. I’m simply not there yet,” he told CBS News Texas. He did not attach conditions to the quote, did not offer a timeline for reconsidering it, and did not imply that a shift is imminent. The repetition underscored a clear message: as of now, he is not prepared to support the constitutional change casino interests have been seeking in recent legislative sessions.

Fink then pressed Abbott on why he remains opposed. The governor anchored his answer in the social and integrity risks he associates with gaming. He said:
“Because we’ve seen increasingly problems that go along with gaming. Whether it be addiction or whether it be things that are happening in sporting events and athletes who are on the take. And so, there have been more red flags raised. That caused us to have to pause, step back, take a look at this and make sure that we wouldn’t do anything that would be harmful, either to the people of the state of Texas, the culture that we have in the state, or to sporting events that we have in the state.”

With that full statement, Abbott linked casino and gambling expansion to three core areas of concern: addiction among Texans, the cultural identity of the state, and the integrity of sports. By talking about “athletes who are on the take” and emphasizing the need to “pause, step back, take a look at this”, he framed the casino debate not as a purely economic question, but as a broader risk assessment in which social harm and corruption weigh heavily.

The interview also touched on the limited resort model that has been at the center of recent casino proposals in Austin. Lawmakers had previously considered authorizing a small number of large destination resorts in major metropolitan areas like Dallas and Houston, combining casino floors with hotels, entertainment and convention space. Abbott did not criticize that structure directly, and he acknowledged that legislators have already debated such ideas and may do so again. But he underlined that any such change would first have to clear the high constitutional hurdle at the Capitol before facing voters statewide—and that he, personally, is still not ready to back that path.

Throughout the conversation, Abbott returned repeatedly to his top policy priority: cutting and restructuring property taxes, particularly school property taxes on homesteads. He argued that Texas can shift the way it funds public education without raising other taxes, pointing to the state’s strong budget position in recent years. Notably, he did not present casino gambling as a revenue solution or a fiscal tool to support those reforms. For Abbott, casino legalization and tax reform are parallel discussions, not a single package.

Politically, his comments highlight the obstacles casino advocates still face. Even as major operators and local business coalitions continue to promote resort-style casinos as engines of jobs, tourism and investment, substantial conservative blocs within the Republican Party oppose expanded gambling on moral and cultural grounds. Abbott’s on-air stance—rooted in addiction concerns, sports integrity and protection of “the culture that we have in the state”—signals that he is aligned, for now, with those more cautious voices.

At the same time, the Eye on Politics segment confirmed that casino gambling is now part of the mainstream political conversation in Texas. It appears alongside redistricting, education funding and statewide races in high-profile interviews, rather than being relegated to the margins of legislative coverage. Abbott did not describe casinos as inherently incompatible with Texas values, nor did he declare the debate closed. Instead, he emphasized that the state must be absolutely certain it “wouldn’t do anything that would be harmful” before taking any step toward legalizing casino gambling.

For the national gaming industry, Abbott’s words crystallize the current landscape. Texas remains the largest untapped commercial casino market in the United States, and operators will continue to view the state as a long-term prize. But the governor’s own language—focusing on “more red flags,” on addiction, on “athletes who are on the take,” and on the need to “pause” and “step back”—makes clear that the bar for any proposal is unusually high and will require more than promises of tax revenue and economic growth.

As the interview drew to a close, Abbott returned once more to the sentence that frames the entire discussion. “I’m not there yet. I’m simply not there yet.” For now, that line marks the outer limit of Texas’ casino ambitions. The debate is very much alive, the stakes are enormous, and the industry is watching closely—but the political gatekeeper in Austin has made it clear that, on casino gambling, he still is not ready to say yes.