A Las Vegas Group Wants Your Signature on a Petition to Legalize Gambling in Texas

How cool would it be to not have to drive outside of Texas to be able to play blackjack or test our luck at a slot machine? The talk has been there for years about legalizing casino gambling in Texas with a majority of the state's residents in favor of it. A 2023 proposal failed in Austin. But that hasn't stopped the Texas Destination Resort Alliance (TDRA) from continuing to make a push to legalize gambling in the Lone Star State.

Good and Bad of Gambling

It was a big deal in Texas in the early to mid 90s when the state legalized lottery games. It became a lot of fun for residents to head into a convenience store and purchase a scratch off ticket or select their numbers in the various nightly lottery drawings. Of course, the downside to this fun is those who become addicted to the medium and will forgo necessities in hopes of hitting it big.

As more and more states begin legalizing gambling of some sort, the stigma of being home to a casino is going away. For us in East Texas, it's fairly common for many of us to head to Shreveport for an evening of sitting in front of slot machine or at the blackjack table to win, or blow, some disposable income. Many of those same East Texans would probably not mind having to drive to a neighboring city to do the same.

Texas House Failed Vote

In 2023, the Texas House of Representatives Speaker proposed a bill that would legalize gambling, sports betting and create a Texas Gaming Commission (KHOU) in Texas. It ultimately failed. The proposal would also allow for four resort casinos in cities like Dallas, Austin, Houston and other larger Texas cities.

Even with that failed vote, the TDRA is still campaigning to legalize gambling in Texas. The group is backed by the casino company Las Vegas Sands. They currently operate casino resorts in Macao and Singapore and used to operate The Venetian, The Palazzo and the Sands Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas (mysanantonio.com). They are also the same company that bought a controlling interest in the Dallas Mavericks from Mark Cuban.

Getting Signatures for a Petition

The group is asking you to go to txdra.com to sign their petition in the hopes of getting lawmakers to support and vote in favor of legalized gambling in Texas.

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