Chris Boline
As we’re seeing more states push forward with legalizing wagers, the same can’t be said for the Texas sports betting movement right now. A launch in 2022 has already been ruled out, and there isn’t much promise that 2023 will bring things, either. With that said, Louisiana betting success is making things more frustrating for Texas officials. With the two states being so close, loads of Texas residents are making the driver over to bet in Louisiana.
In a recent Louisiana Gaming Control Board meeting, chairman Ronnie Johns brought up all of the success that the state is seeing, particularly in the popular city of Lake Charles. Lake Charles is located less than 40 miles from the Texas border, so it has understandably become a popular destination for people from the Lone Star State. With this, people are leaving Texas to make bets in Louisiana at a higher rate.
With this growth, it’s only pushing for lawmakers in Texas to try and bring this to those opposed to sports betting. Why in the heck should people have to leave Texas to make sports bets, which is only resulting in more income for states like Louisiana and others? Texas is losing out on millions, and this is something that should have been changed a while back. Even Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has been trying to flip things.
For a while now, Jones has been pushing for the legalization, as he knows so many fans out, there would be checking out the NFL betting odds at a consistent clip, especially with the Dallas Cowboys hoping to get back to the Super Bowl shortly. As long as Texas sports betting isn’t legal, though, people are going to keep heading to Louisiana for their sports betting needs.
Texas, California, and Florida remain in the same boat
Things are frustrating here on multiple fronts, as Texas, California, and Florida remain in the same boat in terms of sports betting. These are the three biggest states in the USA, yet none of them have been able to move forward with legalizing things. Texas, they’re home to some of the top sports teams out there. With California and Florida, the same could be said as well.
Over in California, sports betting may not be legal now, but the hope is that things will change there in November, thanks to the upcoming ballot. People have two initiatives they’ll be able to vote on, with one expected to be given the green light. However, the latest report of republicans not being a fan of either initiative has some folks worried that sports betting could once again be delayed in California.
As for Florida, things were legal for a few weeks this past fall, but then a U.S. District Judge stepped in and shut things down. This was heartbreaking for people, as they were given a short taste of how things would be. Now, it’s looking like people may have to wait until 2024 for Florida sports betting to arrive. That’s the last thing people in Texas want to see, as they’d love for 2023 to be the year where something goes down.
With the uncertainty for Texas sports betting, though, truly, no one knows what’s going to end up happening. Governor candidate Beto O’Rourke has been pushing for betting to come; the hope is that he can convince others in the office to make the right call here. There’s wide support, and major sportsbooks are ready to get things rolling as well. When will that happen in Texas? Your guess is as good as ours.
Beto O’Rourke calls for legalizing casino gambling, sports betting in Texas https://t.co/7E9bhvvhUn
— Houston Chronicle (@HoustonChron) April 23, 2022
When could Texas sports betting come to life?
The $1 million question that continues to be asked is when could Texas sports betting come to life? As we said above, there’s zero chance of a last-minute change for 2022. There’s an outside chance for 2023 to get done too, which is why the growing belief is that 2024 may be the year that legal sports betting arrives. This goes hand in hand with what we see for Florida too.
What’s causing the holdup for Texas? The major concern among republicans is that gambling addiction is only going to increase once sports betting is made legal. It’s a problem in the state already, and that’s with people illegally making their bets. We’ve seen so many sports betting rings come to light in recent years, and that’s only going to continue until some sort of a change for the state arrives.
With the Cowboys, people are placing illegal NFL bets, while there’s also a high number of people viewing the MLB betting odds consistently, thanks to the great play of the Houston Astros. With the World Series around the corner, too, even more illegal baseball bets will be on the way. One can only hope that things will change in the near future, but this may not go down until 2024. This is disappointing to see for so many different folks. It’ll be on officials to try and change this.
Winning homestand. pic.twitter.com/zfJm2mBdEP
— Houston Astros (@astros) August 28, 2022
