Texans hoping for legal sports betting in the Lone Star state will have been disappointed by news this week that there is no progress being made on any of the bills submitted with insiders now resigned to the fact that it may be 2025 before Texas starts taking bets.
Flutter Entertainment, the world’s biggest betting firm and owners of FanDuel and PokerStars in America, stated in their 2020 Earnings Report that they are predicting a 2025 opening for Texas and that corresponds to the noises emanating from the state’s government.
Lt. Gov Dan Patrick has long been opposed to legal gambling in Texas but a recent push by five sports teams in the state – Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Stars, Dallas Mavericks, FC Dallas and Texas Rangers – who have formed a ‘Sports Betting Alliance’ alongside several gambling operators had given some hope of some movement.
However, speaking on radio recently Patrick said:
“We are nowhere close to having the votes for it.
“We don’t even have a bill that has been filed in the Senate on the issue. When you don’t even have a sponsor, it’s not even a bill you spend much time on or think about.
“I’ve never been in favor of it.”
This statement, along with the admission from Flutter, suggests that it will be a long time before Texas, the most 2nd populous state in America, starts to rise up the Wedge Index.
