Texas lawmakers are currently debating two bills to create a legalized, regulated sports betting and gambling market in the Lone Star state.
One bill would regulate the construction and opening of casinos in major urban areas of the state. The second concerns legalized online sports betting, which is becoming more commonplace in many states across the country.
The numbers show that more than 7.6 million Americans are betting online using network operators such as DraftKings, FanDuel and others, which is 63% more than in 2020.
Speaking to the media KENS 5 from San Antonio, Professor Jennifer Alexander from the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) expressed her views on the introduction of sports betting in the state.
“I think that state and local governments, from everything I have seen, are in a much worse state now than they have been in the last 20 or 30 years,” she said.
“States that make money are not going to back down, and they always have to consider that if they don’t offer something, people will just leave for a neighboring state.”
However, Alexander also acknowledged that the introduction of a betting market could conflict with the conservative political and moral philosophies of many Texans, questioning the monetary benefits of such a sector.
She added: “I don't know it's going to be a revenue boom that our state and local governments really need.
Jason Minnix of ESPN in San Antonio also shared his views, highlighting the sports industry's interest in the potential financial benefits of the Texas betting and gaming market.
He remarked, “You sold somebody a ticket, you could sell them something in the store – some product – you are going to sell some beer and some food. If you can make some money from an in-game bet he made, the NBA will do it.
“It would be so difficult for one person to influence many games over a long period of time without getting caught. If you are player X and put $5 million into the game, it will raise a red flag in all bookmakers. If you bet $10,000 it probably won't set off alarms at the bookmaker, but are you willing to risk the millions you earn on more than $10,000? And the answer is no."
“It used to be taboo, now it's part of the regulator's job. It is part of the game, gambling exists and cannot be ignored.”
Source - KENS 5 channel on YouTube.
Online gambling law post has become the subject of political debate in Texas first appeared on GamblingTV.com.
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