Sports teams weigh in on Texas sports betting legalization drive
Executives from 11 sports franchises pen letter to state officials voicing support for “fair and responsible” market
Top executives from Texas’ 11 major professional sports franchises have jointly written a letter voicing their support for proposed legislation to legalize sports betting in the Lone Star State.
In the letter, addressed to both Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, the executives cited the continued absence of legalized sports betting in Texas as both enabling the illegal sports betting market and consequently detrimental to in-state bettors.
“By Texas not having legalized sports betting it disadvantages our fans compared to sports fans in other states that are protected by regulation and given the freedom of opportunity to legally bet,” the group of executives wrote.
“Ultimately, (the proposed measures) protect Texans from the illegal, foreign sports betting market that is operating unregulatedly in Texas.
“These bills provide a fair and responsible system of permitting and taxation for operators, and the proposed legislation has best practices from other states that will maintain the integrity of Texas’ professional sports,” it adds.
Franchises represented in the letter included the Dallas Cowboys, the Houston Texans, the Texas Rangers, the Houston Astros, the Houston Rockets, the Dallas Mavericks, and the San Antonio Spurs.
NHL side the Dallas Stars and professional soccer franchises in Austin, Dallas, and Houston were also signatories to the letter.
In the case of the Dallas Cowboys, this marks their second open display of support for legalizing sports betting in the state, with Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones advocating for the vertical in a radio interview in January.
Earlier this month, a quartet of bills enabling sports betting in the state passed through committee stage in the Texas House of Representatives.
House joint resolutions 102 and 155, as well as supporting legislation included in house bills (HB) 1942 and HB 2843, were each considered by the House State Affairs Committee, with the quartet of bills being passed by favorable votes of 9-3.
The bills are due to be put to the Senate floor within the next few weeks, and with the regular Texas legislative session due to end on May 29, it could open the door for a potential legalization in Texas by the next NFL season.