2 Texas Sports Betting Bills Filed: Is 2025 the Year?

• Legislators filed two Texas gambling bills on Wednesday, marking the start of legal Texas sports betting conversations for 2025.

AUSTIN, Texas – On Wednesday, Texas lawmakers introduced significant legislation aimed at legalizing sports betting within the state.

State Representative Sam Harless (R-Spring) filed House Joint Resolution 134, proposing a constitutional amendment to be decided by voters in the upcoming November election. If approved, this amendment would authorize legal sports betting through specific entities, including professional sports teams existing as of January 1, 2025, professional golf organizations that held tour events in Texas prior to that date, and Class 1 racetracks operating as of that date.

Concurrently, House Joint Resolution 137 was filed, seeking to legalize both casino gambling and sports betting. This proposal aims to limit casino gambling to physical locations, capping the number of licenses at 10, and mandates the state to negotiate gaming compacts with the three federally recognized Indian tribes to allow Class III gaming on tribal lands.

Finally Time?

Governor Greg Abbott has recently expressed openness to legalizing sports betting in Texas, acknowledging its prevalence and stating he would be surprised if some people across the state didn’t already engage in it in some capacity. However, similar proposals have faced challenges in the Texas Senate, where gambling-related bills often encounter resistance, particularly from Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, who has historically been reluctant to bring such bills to the floor.

In the previous legislative session, the Texas House passed a bill that would have allowed an amendment to the Texas Constitution to permit regulated gambling, but the bill ultimately failed in the Senate. The current proposals, if passed by the legislature, would place the decision in the hands of Texas voters in November 2025.

Given the biennial meeting schedule of the Texas Legislature, the earliest that legal Texas sports betting could be implemented would be in 2027.

The outcome of these proposals remains uncertain, as they must navigate the complex dynamics of Texas politics and public opinion. If successful, Texas would join a growing number of states that have legalized sports betting, potentially generating significant revenue and altering the state’s gambling landscape.

News tags: Dan Patrick | Greg Abbott | Sam Harless | Texas | TX HJR 134 | TX HJR 137