Texas Sports Betting Still A Long Shot

Here’s a funny hypoethical question: what happens first — the Dallas Cowboys make another Super Bowl or Texas sports betting gets legalized?

We bring that up because a brand new Netflix documentary about the Dallas Cowboys is making the rounds. It covers in depth the Jerry Jones era, both the highs — three Super Bowls in the ‘90s — and the lows — a 30-year championship drought since then.

With the rise of prediction markets giving top betting apps a run for their money, that Cowboys or legal betting question might be a good market. Dead serious because we can make strong arguments in both directions.

But for the purpose of this article, we’ll stop throwing dirt on Jones’ name (the entire Internet has us beat here, especially after the Micah Parsons trade). But what about legal sports betting? Recent events in Texas politics have given us new light on whether betting will enter the state anytime soon — and it’s not looking good.

The Lieutenant Governor Holds All The Cards

There are a lot of movers and shakers in the Lone Star State. There are billionaires like Jones or Miriam Adelson (more on her later), lawmakers, entrepreneurs, and so on. But one man has the most power when it comes to legalizing betting: Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick.

Patrick isn’t the governor, but in Texas politics, he might as well be when it comes to gambling. He presides over the Senate, and no bill gets heard there without his blessing. None.

And up to this point, Patrick has been crystal clear: sports betting and casino bills don’t move unless they have majority Republican support. The last time this came up in 2023, the House managed to pass a sports betting amendment with a two-thirds majority. But Patrick killed the momentum in one tweet.

“Texas is a red state,” he wrote at the time. “The House vote on sports betting was carried by a Dem majority. The Texas Senate doesn’t pass bills with GOP in the minority.”

That’s how it’s always gone. Patrick says no GOP majority, no debate. End of story. Not even Governor Greg Abbott — who hasn’t been nearly as anti-betting as his “right hand man” — has swayed Patrick.

And here’s the news item we teased: Patrick barely announced that he’ll seek another term in the 2026 midterms. It would be his fourth term, which could extend his time in office til 2030 when he’s 80 years old. If he wins — and Patrick is a popular man among voters — the chances of legal sports betting and casino gambling drop further in the Lone Star State.

Is Patrick Really The Only Problem?

Here’s where it gets tricky. The gambling industry has treated Patrick as the main villain in this story. But insiders say the bigger problem may be the Senate itself — not just the main leader.

“If I was the Sands Corporation, I’d be trying to count my Senate votes and quit worrying about Dan Patrick,” Austin-based consultant Mike Lavigne told the Dallas Morning News. “Patrick is not as big a problem as the rest of the Senate is.”

Lavigne might be on to something. Texas, more than just about any state, is still heavily conservative, especially on social issues. No matter the national success of betting, in Texas, there’s still a stigma over it. That stigma has religious roots too so not something that can turn over so easily. Not even with millions of dollars in donations as we explain next.

Millions Poured In, Nothing To Show

It’s not like the industry hasn’t tried to lobby Patrick, the Senate, and the public at large. Big names have thrown serious money around, trying to sway opinions. Las Vegas Sands billionaire, led by Miriam Adelson, poured nearly $14 million into Texas politics in 2024 alone. This came after Adelson bought a majority stake from Make Cuban in the Dallas Mavericks to plant roots in the state.

And yet, Patrick brushed it all off. “They spent millions and millions of dollars and just think that magically it happens,” he told WFAA in November 2024. “It doesn’t.”

What Happens Now?

The Texas legislature only meets every other year. That means 2027 is the next shot at legalizing gambling. But with Patrick eyeing a return to the Senate, that “shot” looks more like a Hail Mary.

Could things change in 2027 if Patrick loses out? Maybe. But again, we wouldn’t count on it. There’s a reason he’s already won three terms — voters overwhelmingly like him. Heck, many of those voters may be perfectly fine with his stance on legalizing betting.

For now, Texans who want to bet legally will keep driving across the border, firing up offshore sites, or using those prediction markets we mentioned earlier on. All three have benefited from Texas stance, to the tune of billions of dollars. That number will only grow as football season continues, and both the Cowboys and Longhorns play big games.

The industry isn’t giving up — not with money, not with lobbying, not with Jerry Jones — but the politics in Austin are about as stiff as it gets right now. So we wouldn’t bet on anything changing soon.