Gov. Greg Abbott signals support to allow sports betting in Texas

Sports Betting

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott told the Houston Chronicle  that he has no problem with legalizing sports betting in the state. 

Abbott appeared on the newspaper’s “Texas Take” podcast, and he said he considers sports betting a part of the entertainment of watching professional sports. 

“I don’t have a problem with online sports betting,” Abbott said on the podcast. “The reality is that I’d be shocked if there were not some Texans that do it already. It’s a very common practice, and it seems to be part of the entertainment that goes along when you’re watching a football game, especially pro football, or other types of sports and things like that. I don’t have a problem with that.”

Abbott is one of the first state leaders to show at least some support for legalizing sports betting, an issue that has been gaining traction in the state. 

A survey from the University of Houston’s Hobby School of Public Affairs found that approximately 60% of Texans support legalizing online sports betting and 56% support legalizing the operation of sportsbooks inside professional sports stadiums. 

Legalization efforts also have a powerful backer, the Texas Sports Betting Alliance–a coalition of almost all the professional sports franchises in the state along with most of the top betting platforms in the U.S. The coalition also hired former Texas Gov. Rick Perry to be its spokesperson.

Despite Abbott signaling his support, the only way sports betting will be legalized is if both chambers of the Texas Legislature pass a bill that makes it to the governor’s desk for him to sign into law. The Legislature is currently in session until June 2, and a bill has been proposed to amend the Texas Constitution to allow regulated gambling. 

Previous efforts to legalize sports betting have fallen short. Back in 2023, a bill passed the House with an 82-51 vote, but it died in the Senate. 

Sports betting has exploded in recent years with the invention of online sportsbooks. More than 30 states have legalized online sports betting, including Arkansas and Louisiana.

Texas is currently one of the strictest states in the country when it comes to gambling and is one of only 11 states that bans sports betting. 

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