TLDR
- Texas Rep. Charlie Geren filed House Joint Resolution 52 to let voters decide on casinos and sports betting.
- The resolution would cap casinos at 10 locations and limit the gaming tax to 15%.
- Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who vowed to block gambling bills, lost his race to Democrat Vikki Goodwin.
- The measure needs two-thirds support in both the Texas House and Senate to reach the ballot.
- Geren proposes a statewide vote on Nov. 2, 2027.
The person who controls the Texas Senate floor is about to change, and a new gambling proposal is already waiting. State Rep. Charlie Geren, a Republican from Fort Worth, has filed House Joint Resolution 52 for the 2027 legislative session.
The resolution is a proposed constitutional amendment. It would ask voters whether the Legislature should have the power to legalize and regulate casino gaming and sports wagering.
Geren filed the measure less than a week after the midterm elections. Democrats won the races for governor and lieutenant governor and also flipped the state House.
A Change at the Senate Gate
In Texas, the lieutenant governor serves as president of the state Senate. That role gives the officeholder strong control over which bills move forward in the chamber.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a Republican, said for years that he would kill any proposal to authorize new forms of gambling. “It’s not even an issue that’s going to see the light of day,” Patrick said in 2023.
Patrick, a three-term incumbent, lost his race last week to Democrat Vikki Goodwin. Goodwin told Casino.org that she is not personally a gambler, but she believes Texans should be allowed to decide.
“We need to listen to the voters of Texas,” Goodwin told Casino.org. She added that on some issues, most Texans feel one way while their elected officials do the opposite, and “gambling may be one of those things.”
When the new Legislature starts in January, Democrats will control the Texas House. Republicans will keep their majority in the Senate, though Republican opposition to the gambling measure is expected to decline.
Texas is one of 24 states that do not allow citizen-led ballot measures. Only the Legislature can ask voters to change the state constitution.
For a resolution to reach the ballot, it needs two-thirds support in both the House and the Senate. It does not need the governor’s signature.
What HJR 52 Would Allow
The resolution would limit casino gaming to 10 locations across the state. It would also cap the state tax on gross gaming revenue at 15%.
The measure would require Texas to negotiate Class III tribal gaming compacts with each of the state’s three federally recognized tribes. It would also require licenses and application fees for operators.
The resolution does not say whether sports betting would be limited to casinos. It also does not say whether online wagering would be allowed.
Geren also wrote the question voters would see. It reads: “The constitutional amendment to permit the Legislature, by general law, to authorize and regulate casino gaming and sports wagering at a limited number of locations in this state, require licenses and license application fees for operators, and impose a tax on casino gaming and sports wagering revenue.”
Geren has proposed that the question appear on the ballot on Nov. 2, 2027. If it gets there, a simple majority of voters, meaning 50% plus one vote, would be needed to approve it.
For now, nothing changes for bettors in Texas. The resolution must first win the required votes in the 90th Texas Legislature before it can reach voters.
