Sports betting companion legislation filed in Texas senate

Senator Juan ‘Chuy’ Hinojosa has filed Senate Joint Resolution 65 (SJR 65) which proposes giving Texans the opportunity to vote on legalized sports betting in November.

The resolution, filed yesterday, March 6, serves as a companion piece of legislation following the filing of House Resolution 134 by Representative Sam Harless last month.

If regulated, sports wagering in the state would give certain entities the right to oversee sports betting, including professional sports teams, a sports organization that hosted an annual PGA Tour event, and all class 1 racetracks.

Those entities would then be allowed to partner with an operator to conduct sports betting.

SJR 65  proposes a constitutional amendment that would authorize legal wagering on certain sporting events.

The bill’s text read: “This proposed constitutional amendment shall be submitted to the voters at an election to be held [on] November 4, 2025.

“The ballot shall be printed to permit voting for or against the proposition: ‘The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to legalize wagering in this state on certain sporting events.’”

The newly submitted resolution does not specify how the revenue generated from regulated sports betting would be allocated.

In a statement announcing the filing of SJR 65, the Texas Sports Betting Alliance highlighted November’s 2024 Eilers & Krejcik Gaming study that estimated the state would benefit from around $24m in non-gaming tax every year and over $360m in direct revenue.

Sports betting bills House Bill 1,942 and House Joint Resolution 102 were approved in the house two years ago but failed to be debated in the senate and both bills expired, ending the possibility of regulation until this year. 

At the start of 2025, EGR North America asked whether the industry should expect one or more US states to pass online sports betting legislation in 2025.