Also, existing horse and greyhound tracks get gaming licenses under the bill.<\/p>\n
\n
But Jones continues to point out the legislation will, at best, lay the groundwork for another proposal when the Texas legislature meets again in 2023. \u201cCasino gambling is dead in the water in 2021,\u201d Jones said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Dan Patrick Is Key in Process<\/h2>\n
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick\u2019s opposition — along with that of other Republican leaders — is critical in currently blocking the legislation in Texas, Jones adds.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Patrick, in particular, does not support a bill, its prospects of even reaching the Texas Senate floor for a vote, let alone garnering the requisite two-thirds majority, are about as close to zero as you can get without being less than zero,\u201d Jones said.<\/p>\n
In addition, Clyde Barrow, chair of the Department of Political Science at the University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley, points out a majority of Texans have supported legalized Las Vegas-style casinos for more than a decade.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no reason to believe those numbers will change in the future,\u201d Barrow said. \u201cThis gap between public policy and public opinion on casino gambling will not be closed so long as Republicans retain control of the Texas legislature and key offices of the executive branch.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston, agrees.<\/p>\n
\n
\u201cJust because a majority of Texans want a policy change doesn\u2019t mean it will occur because of political obstacles.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A new bill to open four destination casino resorts in Texas is unlikely to pass anytime soon, several veteran political analysts said this week. They forecast a similar fate for other gaming expansion efforts. Under the proposal, commercial casinos would be built in Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. The proposal was introduced by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":166902,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,1074],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Texas Destination Casinos Proposal Is Dead in the Water, Analyst Predicts<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n