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The Texas House passed an online sports gambling bill, House Joint Resolution 102, on Thursday following a Hail Mary effort by the bill’s sponsor. The House originally approved HJ 102 on Wednesday, but it did not receive sufficient votes to move on to the Senate.
HJ 102 still needs two-thirds approval in the Senate, as well as citizen voters’ approval, in order to amend the Texas State Constitution to permit mobile sports gambling in Texas.
Representative Rallies Texas House to Narrow Victory
Representative Jeff Leach (R, District 67) gave an impassioned speech on the House floor Thursday, reiterating to his fellow representatives that Texans are already betting on sports, they are just doing so illegally.
“Every single one of them are criminals … under Texas law, and I believe that we should pass this bill to let them come out of the shadows and to carefully and safely regulate this,” Leach said, according to media reports.
As a constitutional amendment, the proposed bill needed a two-thirds majority, or 100 votes, to pass. The bill received exactly 100 votes when first called following Rep. Leach’s speech, and 101 votes on verification.
The House has heard extensive testimony in support of legalizing Texas mobile sports gambling this session. The bill’s most vocal opponents argue against legalizing sports betting on moral grounds.
House Declines Vote on Texas Casinos
Another proposed bill, House Joint Resolution 155, would have allowed citizens a vote to fully legalize casinos in Texas. The final consideration of that proposal was delayed in the House until noon Friday, as supporters continued working to find 100 votes.
“This is really about letting your voters decide,” Rep. Geren told his fellow legislators Wednesday.
However, Friday afternoon Representative Charlie Geren (R, District 99) acknowledged he did not have the necessary support and postponed voting until January 2027.
HJ 155, as proposed by Rep. Geren, would have created at least eight licenses for casino gambling at “destination resorts” across Texas, giving preference to metropolitan areas where horse racing is authorized. Like HJ 102, it would also have legalize sports betting.
Gambling Bills Face Uphill Battle in Senate
Any gambling legislation is expected to face a steep challenge in the Texas Senate. Senator Lois Kolkhorst (R, District 18) sponsored Senate Bill 715, a companion bill to HJ 102, in February. That proposal has yet to receive a committee hearing, and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick seems determined for it to stay that way.
“Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick indicated months ago that he was opposed to this legislation and didn’t see it as having any prospects in the Senate,” Rice University political science professor Mark Jones told ABC 13 Thursday afternoon. “He has said nothing about changing his mind, and the votes in the House, where Republicans are split, would solidify Patrick’s decision to stick to his guns and block this legislation. He has said from the beginning that he’s only going to pass it if it has overwhelming Republican support, so when this bill goes to the Senate, it’s dead on arrival.”
Nonetheless, the fact that mobile sports gambling has cleared the Texas House and has the support of the Texas Sports Betting Alliance is a big step.
“This is the furthest any gambling legislation has advanced in 20 years,” Jones noted. “And so, from the glass half-full perspective, it’s a real achievement for pro-gambling forces to get a two-thirds vote in the House.”
