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This most definitely isn’t what people want to see for a Texas sports betting update, as there had been high hopes over the last month that things would be able to move in the right direction. While different bills have been in motion and received plenty of positive feedback across the board, the fact of the matter is that politicians can’t get on the same page here. With that, Texas sports betting is looking unlikely for 2023. Are you serious?
According to a report, despite there being a lot of support across the state, things aren’t expected to get done by the end of the year. Things have only been made worse with the fact that Lt. Governor Dan Patrick came out and said that he’s not going to bring things to the Senate unless more than 15 or so Republicans sign off on a betting bill. A recent bill made it through the House, but that’s still not enough to impress Patrick.
“Unless I have 15 to 16 Republicans, meaning it’s a Republican-driven bill because we’re a Republican-driven state, I’m not bringing a bill to the floor,” Patrick said via KXAN News on why he’s not ready to move forward with a betting bill in the Lone Star State.
This quote from Patrick has infuriated loads of people in Texas. For the last few months, sports fans have been sitting on pins and needles waiting to see if some good news would be on the way. However, just when it looks like things are heading in the right direction, the opposite turns out to be the case. For now, we may have to wait until 2024 or beyond for something to happen here. Things really aren’t feeling promising, though.
Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick says the State Senate “doesn’t have the votes” to legalize casinos and sports betting in Texas pic.twitter.com/cWlKlnOJzg
— Texas Sports Life (@TXSportsLife) April 7, 2023
Pro teams in Texas continue to push for betting
Despite this negative news, that doesn’t mean all things are bad, as pro teams in Texas continue to post for betting. For years now, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Mavericks owner Mark Cuban have been wanting to see betting get done. From a revenue standpoint, the potential is through the roof. Imagine how consistent the wagers would be for the NFL and NBA action each year.
With the NFL betting odds, people would surely be checking things for the Cowboys each week. Not only that, but the NFL Draft first round just went down last Thursday night and the Cowboys ended up taking defensive lineman Mazi Smith. This was a shocking selection by Jones and Co., but some fans had called things ahead of time on social media. Those same folks would have loved to put money on Smith falling to Dallas.
Mazi Smith, at your service. #Cowboys
The 2023 first-rounder has arrived. pic.twitter.com/foGA4kCQBT
— Patrik [No C] Walker (@VoiceOfTheStar) April 28, 2023
As for the NBA, people would love to check the NBA Finals betting odds and put their money down. Although the Mavericks are no longer in the hunt to bring home the trophy, that doesn’t mean that people aren’t following the NBA postseason closely throughout Texas. Things are quite exciting right now and we’re seeing a huge amount of bets being recorded across the globe. However, no legal activity is being recorded in Texas, which is a bummer.
Jones and Cuban have both been able to receive a ton of support from the other teams, including in the NHL, MLB and more. Owners across the board know that betting needs to get done as soon as possible. More than 30 USA states have been given the green light, but Texas remains on the outside looking in. Both Cuban and Jones want to keep fighting to make sports betting in Texas happen, but it remains to be seen if all of their efforts will be worth it or not.
Illegal betting in Texas isn’t going anywhere
One of the main things Patrick needs to keep in mind here is that illegal betting in Texas isn’t going anywhere. This is an issue that has haunted the state for several years. People love checking odds all over the place and then making bets. However, people in Texas are using off-shore accounts or bookies to get that done. As we’ve said multiple times, authorities do a fine job in trying to prevent this, but the fact of the matter is that this problem is a persistent one.
This could all change if the officials and lawmakers in Texas could see what’s right in front of them. This is why Jones and Cuban, among others, are making such a strong case to get things done. All of the illegal activity is costing taxpayers money and it’s leaving dough off the table for the state to take advantage of. We’re talking about millions of dollars here.
There was hope that things could get done in 2023, just in time for the end of the NFL campaign. However, now things are going to probably be delayed once again. People all over Texas are sick of having to keep waiting for the laws to change, which means they’re going to keep traveling outside of state lines to get legal bets in. It truly is a shame.
