Two bills to expand legal gambling and usher in Texas sports betting have cleared a House committee, representing more progress than they made in the last legislative session. The House State Affairs Committee approved legislation that would let voters decide whether to legalize casinos and online sports betting. House Bill 2843 would permit casino gambling in Texas and House Bill 1942 would legalize online sports betting. If approved by voters, the casino bill would allow eight destination resort casinos in Texas, and sports betting would be allowed under the casino bill. However, the bills still face long odds in the…

Even though there are well over 30 states with regulated wagers on sports, there is still room for expansion. Texas sports betting would be a huge boost for the industry, as the state has the second largest population in the country. Plus, Missouri is now considering the activity, and Maryland has already approved regulations… but not much else. Let’s start with Texas sports betting, as the market there could be the largest outside of California. Governor Greg Abbott now says he is open to expanding casino gambling there. That’s a major step, as in the past he has been “wholeheartedly”…

The runaway spread of regulated gambling has popped up in some new places, with sports betting bills working their way through committees in three additional states this week. Below is a brief look at each, keeping in mind that they are early in the process… and any legislation is most likely weeks, months or even years away. The biggest prize (as far as population goes) would be Texas, where House of Representatives’ State Affairs Committee is mulling a bill that would bring regulated online sports wagers to the state. A limit of five operators would be approved and overseen by…

Professional sports teams in the Lone Star State have been in a spiral dive for a while. And hope for regulated Texas sports betting does not look much better for the immediate future. Despite all the hope and rhetoric, several things would need to happen before any sports wagering legislation would pass. First, the state would have to amend its constitution to allow for the betting on sporting events. At this point, there doesn’t seem to be enough political support to make that happen. Second, there are competing interests between sports teams and casinos… not to mention opposition from religious…

Lawmakers are considering a bill that could lead to Texas sports betting regulation for both online and mobile. Introduced by Representative Eddie Lucio III, H 1725 would make a total of five permits available in the state. Each permit would be designated with two skins. These permits would each cost $250,000, while operators that secure approval would pay 6.25% in tax on their sports betting handle. This would be collected on a monthly basis. Should the bill pass, players in Texas would be able to place bets on professional sports events, as well as US college sports competitions, with the exception…