{"id":158080,"date":"2020-12-10T23:38:53","date_gmt":"2020-12-11T07:38:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=158080"},"modified":"2020-12-11T11:59:09","modified_gmt":"2020-12-11T19:59:09","slug":"sheldon-adelson-ramps-up-efforts-to-get-casino-bill-approved-in-texas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/sheldon-adelson-ramps-up-efforts-to-get-casino-bill-approved-in-texas\/","title":{"rendered":"Sheldon Adelson Ramps Up Efforts to Get Casino Bill Approved in Texas"},"content":{"rendered":"

Las Vegas Sands (LVS) Corp and its influential CEO Sheldon Adelson are increasingly focusing on Texas, where they hope legislators will approve a public vote on legalized casino gambling.<\/p>\n

\"Prior
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick pictured above. The future of any casino legalization bill may rest on his decision. (Image: Sergio Flores\/Bloomberg via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Earlier this week, Andy Abboud, senior vice president of government relations at LVS, confirmed recent speculation the company favors legislation to pave the way for commercial gaming properties in the state.<\/p>\n

Any gaming bill would first need to get approval by the legislature. It would later need to get backing from residents in a statewide vote.<\/p>\n

In the past, casino proposals failed to get traction in the state\u2019s legislature. But now momentum is building, given Adelson\u2019s influence and economic arguments.<\/p>\n

During a recent conference sponsored by the Texas Taxpayers and Research Association, Abboud said Texas is \u201ca worldwide destination\u201d and \u201cone of the top potential markets\u201d for gambling.<\/p>\n

Texas is considered the biggest plum still waiting to be out there in the history of hospitality and gaming,\u201d Abboud was quoted by the Texas Tribune<\/em>. \u201cWe\u2019re proud of our product \u2026 and we want to bring it to Texas.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Under their current vision, Abboud foresees a \u201climited number of destination resorts in Texas,\u201d the Tribune<\/em> said. They would be located in or near the state\u2019s larger cities.<\/p>\n

He also favors the state setting up a \u201cstrict regulatory environment\u201d for commercial casinos. Casino operators would need to invest a minimum of between $1 billion and $3 billion \u201cso that you absolutely only get the best companies bidding and they are forced by law to build an incredible facility,\u201d Abboud said.<\/p>\n

In the past, the state\u2019s Republican politicians and conservative religious leadership opposed legalizing casinos. Much of the opposition remains.<\/p>\n

Texas Budget Shortfall Needs Remedy<\/h2>\n

But now, the state is facing a $4.6 billion budget shortfall following downturns in the oil and gas industry, as well as the economic downturn associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

Casinos, sports betting, or marijuana legalization are among the options that could be considered. A marijuana bill may face stronger opposition than gambling.<\/p>\n

Also, the state could impose \u201csin\u201d taxes on gaming revenue. Casinos may also lead to economic benefits.<\/p>\n

They [casinos] are job creators, they hire a lot of additional employees, they have tremendous purchasing power,\u201d Abboud said during the taxpayers\u2019 meeting. \u201c\u2026 They are also tremendous generators of tax revenue.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Currently, there are three relatively small Native American casinos in the state. There are also greyhound and horse tracks.<\/p>\n

Many Texans now visit out-of-state casinos. They spend at least $5 billion annually at casinos in nearby states, including Nevada, said Clyde W. Barrow, chair of the Department of Political Science at the University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley, to Casino.org<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Among the strongest supporters of commercial casino legalization in the state is Texas state Rep. Joe Deshotel<\/a> (D-Port Arthur).<\/p>\n

During the last legislative session, he introduced a bill to allow for a constitutional amendment that would permit casinos in select coastal areas. Deshotel has proposed a similar bill for the legislative session, which starts in January.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very encouraged that a major casino operator is interested in Texas,\u201d Deshotel told the Tribune<\/em> on Wednesday about Adelson\u2019s interest in Texas.<\/p>\n

Beyond the economic argument, Adelson has influence both in Texas and nationally. He is a Republican national mega-donor.<\/p>\n

Adelson and his wife, Miriam, recently donated $75 million to a political action committee that supported President Donald Trump\u2019s reelection. In Texas, the couple donated $4.5 million to House Republican candidates during the recent campaign.<\/p>\n

To apparently improve his chances, Adelson\u2019s company recently engaged 10 influential lobbyists<\/a> in Texas. Many have ties to powerful politicians.<\/p>\n

When asked about the chances for a gaming bill getting approved in Texas, Joshua M. Blank, research director of the Texas Politics Project, based at the University of Texas at Austin, told Casino.org<\/em> that casinos are among the likely options for discussion.<\/p>\n

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick Will Play Key Role<\/h2>\n

“The budget shortfall Texas is facing at the beginning of the 2021 legislative session is going to create the opportunity for conversations about new revenue,\u201d Blank said. \u201cAnd, in Texas, tax increases aren’t on the table, so any new revenue sources will, very likely, have to come from something novel. Which is why the public conversation has so far been most focused on sports gambling, casinos, marijuana, and other, similar sources.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

“The budget shortfall is definitely going to put casinos, gambling, and any other source of potential revenue that’s not a tax increase in the discussion, if not necessarily on the table,” Blank added. “That’s a determination that will be made by the state’s political leadership, namely … Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Las Vegas Sands (LVS) Corp and its influential CEO Sheldon Adelson are increasingly focusing on Texas, where they hope legislators will approve a public vote on legalized casino gambling. Earlier this week, Andy Abboud, senior vice president of government relations at LVS, confirmed recent speculation the company favors legislation to pave the way for commercial […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":158082,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,61],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSheldon Adelson Ramps Up Efforts to Get Casino Bill Approved in Texas<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Las Vegas Sands Corp and its influential CEO Sheldon Adelson are focusing on Texas. They hope legislators will approve legalized casinos.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sheldon Adelson Ramps Up Efforts to Get Casino Bill Approved in Texas\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Las Vegas Sands Corp and its influential CEO Sheldon Adelson are focusing on Texas. They hope legislators will approve legalized casinos.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/sheldon-adelson-ramps-up-efforts-to-get-casino-bill-approved-in-texas\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Casino.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-12-11T07:38:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-12-11T19:59:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/dan-patrick.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ed Silverstein\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@casinoorgedsilv\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ed Silverstein\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/sheldon-adelson-ramps-up-efforts-to-get-casino-bill-approved-in-texas\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/sheldon-adelson-ramps-up-efforts-to-get-casino-bill-approved-in-texas\/\",\"name\":\"Sheldon Adelson Ramps Up Efforts to Get Casino Bill Approved in Texas\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/sheldon-adelson-ramps-up-efforts-to-get-casino-bill-approved-in-texas\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/sheldon-adelson-ramps-up-efforts-to-get-casino-bill-approved-in-texas\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/dan-patrick.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-12-11T07:38:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-12-11T19:59:09+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/b3771b02527bcbda9af984b9b1ff098e\"},\"description\":\"Las Vegas Sands Corp and its influential CEO Sheldon Adelson are focusing on Texas. 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