Chris Boline
The frustration for people still waiting on Texas sports betting to be legalized is reaching new heights. While this is bad news for the state, surrounding areas aren’t complaining, as it has resulted in a boost for their economy. This was made clear with Texas bettors flocking to Louisiana to make wagers, and things aren’t slowing down.
According to a recent report, this year has seen Texans make their way across the border to Louisiana to make their bets at a high rate. With Texas and Louisiana bordering one another, it makes sense why people are going over to Louisiana to get in on the action. It’s not just pennies that are being wagered here, though.
According to a report, it is estimated that around $2 billion is wagered by Texans outside of the state each year. At the same time, a large chunk of that is, of course, going to be represented by Nevada; Las Vegas is a popular spot for people. Folks are always going to make their way to Las Vegas, but people in Texas have now found a new spot to make a home: Louisiana.
This is only going to keep continuing if Texas doesn’t move quickly and make a change with its sports betting. As things stand, there are no plans for things to be implemented, but people are, of course, trying to push for legalization. The hope is that by 2023 or 2024, sports betting can get here, but it all seems a bit up in the air at this point. People are asking for answers.
“Texas has been good for Louisiana sports betting.”
“They cater basically to that Houston/East Texas/San Antonio market. So they do a lot of business.”
“They’re estimating 85% of their (casino) business comes out of Texas.”
Would be nice to see that $$$ stay in Texas no? https://t.co/Kvw9nRXC9h
— RC Maxfield (@RCMB323) June 7, 2022
What’s the latest with Texas sports betting?
A question people ask themselves quite often is, what’s the latest with Texas sports betting? Right now, everyone is hoping that things can be going down once 2023 rolls around. The thing to note here, however, is that people thought that 2021 would result in sports betting. That didn’t happen. Then in 2022, people thought it would get done earlier in the year.
Once again, nothing happened. Looking ahead to next year, people still have hope that sports betting can arrive. While nothing is set in stone and everything is in limbo, we could see ’23 be the year where it all goes down. If that doesn’t happen, then people are going to shift their focus to 2024. No one wants to have to wait an extra year here, though.
What’s helping the case here is that Governor Greg Abbott has changed his stance and said that he could be open to sports betting. He was fully against it before. There’s pressure on him now, especially with candidate Beto O’Rourke pushing for sports betting. This has caused a division in O’Rourke’s supporters, as there’s a split in Texas between people who want it and those who oppose it.
All in all, this is only going to make things more interesting for when the election arrives. Abbott is hoping to win another term, but O’Rourke is there making plenty of noise, especially with him trying to take a giant step in the sports betting efforts. Only time will tell how this ends, but it will surely have a huge impact on what ends up going down with Texas sports betting down the road.
Beto O’Rourke calls for legalizing casino gambling, sports betting in Texas https://t.co/7E9bhvvhUn
— Houston Chronicle (@HoustonChron) April 23, 2022
Texas sports betting is needed as soon as possible
It goes without saying that Texas sports betting is needed as soon as possible. The state is losing millions of dollars in potential revenue, which needs to be addressed soon. The major sports teams are hopeful that things will go down. We’ve already seen the Houston Dynamo of the MLS and the Houston Astros of the MLB reach a deal with major sportsbooks.
This has been a massive win for the sports betting companies, but it will all be worthless unless something is legalized for sports betting. With the Astros they’re one of the best teams out there, and people are always checking out the MLB odds to see how they’re doing from a betting standpoint. With Houston the favorites to win the AL West, people would love to place wagers on them.
Imagine if people were allowed to make bets in Texas on the Astros? They’d surely be raining in. However, no such dice. There are people making bets, but they are doing so illegally, which of course, is a major bummer for local officials. They know all too well that illegal betting is continuing to go up, and that needs to change too. Things must be regulated. It’s on Texas to make that happen.
All in all, it’s just been a time of confusion for sports betting in Texas. No one knows what will happen next. In the meantime, people are going to places like Louisiana to spend their vacations and bet. That money could be spent on Texas, which would be great for local businesses. Unless something changes soon, places like Nevada and Louisiana will keep getting Texas visitors at a steady rate.
