Casino advocates seeking to legalize gambling in Texas faced setbacks in recent Republican primary elections, as several lawmakers opposed to casino expansion held onto their seats.
Candidates supported by the casino company Las Vegas Sands attempted to unseat incumbents who oppose gambling legislation. Republican state representatives David Lowe, Terri Leo-Wilson, Mark Dorazio and Andy Hopper all defeated challengers backed by pro-casino political committees. Anti-gambling activist Cheryl Bean also won the Republican nomination for House District 94 in Tarrant County despite opposition funded by those groups.
The results suggest the casino industry remains far from achieving its goal of legalizing destination resort casinos in the state.
“If the prize is destination resort casinos in Texas, Las Vegas Sands is now further away from it in 2026 than they were in 2023,” said Mark Jones, a political science fellow at Rice University.
Casino Backers Continue Long-Term Campaign
Despite the losses, casino supporters say they plan to continue financing candidates who favor gambling legalization. A statement from Sands PAC underscored that the effort will continue over multiple election cycles.
“The long game matters,” read the statement. “And Texas Sands PAC is playing to win.”
The campaign has drawn major financial support from billionaire Miriam Adelson, whose family controls Las Vegas Sands. Last summer she donated $9 million each to Texas Sands PAC and Texas Defense PAC, which supported candidates through donations and campaign outreach.
Several challengers who received that support still lost by wide margins. Businessman Kyle Morris, who obtained $140,000 from Texas Sands PAC in his campaign against Lowe, lost by more than 27 percentage points. Nathan Watkins, who challenged Leo-Wilson, received $110,000 but lost by roughly 25 points.
“Our mission remains unchanged: trust Texas voters,” Andy Abboud, senior vice president of government relations for Sands, wrote in a statement Wednesday. “We have and will continue to support candidates who are committed to a business-friendly environment that keeps the Texas economy strong, competitive, and growing. Cycle after cycle, the record speaks for itself, and we are proud of the role we played in delivering those results. We congratulate every candidate who earned the trust of Texas voters.”
Legislative Barriers Still Stand
Even if support grows in the House, strong opposition remains in the Texas Senate. Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has repeatedly stated that the chamber will not vote on gambling proposals.
In 2023, a bill to legalize sports betting passed the House but stalled in the Senate. Two years later, neither casino nor sports betting proposals advanced in the House despite extensive lobbying by Las Vegas Sands.
Analysts say the company’s persistence reflects the large potential market if gambling eventually becomes legal in Texas.
“There’s enough to gain that they’ll continue to spend,” said Matthew Wilson of Southern Methodist University. “If Texas does at some point open up to casino gambling, there will be an enormous amount of money to be made here in the state.”
Source:
“Pro-gambling interests fail to gain ground in Texas primaries as legislative roadblocks remain”, texastribune.org, Mar 6, 2026
The post Texas Casino Push Stalls After Primary Election Results first appeared on RealMoneyAction.com.