Joint Resolution To Legalize Sports Betting Filed In Texas House

Texas Rep. Sam Harless filed a joint resolution to legalize sports betting in Texas, offering residents to vote on the measure as a constitutional amendment in November.

Harless’ filing of HJR 134 on Wednesday is the first sports betting-related piece of legislature in the lower chamber of the Lone Star State’s General Assembly. Democrat Sen. Carol Alvarado reintroduced a Senate Joint Resolution from 2023 earlier this month that would legalize both sports betting and casino gaming.

Even with Gov. Greg Abbott’s qualified support of sports betting, legalization remains an uphill battle. Lt. Gov Dan Patrick was consistent in his opposition to legalized sports betting at every turn over the previous two legislative sessions. Patrick said he would support any gambling measure in this Assembly — including casino gaming — only if there were a majority of Republicans in support in the Senate.

The Texas General Assembly meets only in odd-numbered years, which means if sports betting is not legalized this year, the next chance of legalization would be 2027.

Details, or lack thereof in HJR 134

Harless’ joint resolution offers few specifics on the regulatory aspects of sports betting. While it does not specifically have “mobile sports betting” in its language, Harless’ legislature appears to legalize such wagering by making eligible “a designee of an entity described by Subdivisions (1)-(3) of this subsection.”

Thus, it would appear mobile books could serve as management services providers tied to the license-holding team. There is no mention of how many skins or “designees” a potential licensee could have.

The Subdivisions 1-3 are the list of entities eligible to obtain a sports wagering license. The first are sports teams in existence prior to Jan. 1; a sports organization held in the state prior to Jan. 1; sanctioned annual professional golf tournaments as part of a national tour of professional golfers; and a Class 1 racetrack in existence prior to Jan. 1.

Sports teams would comprise the bulk of eligible licensees in Harless’ resolution. There are 13 professional sports teams in Texas, headlined by the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans of the NFL.

There are eight teams in the four major U.S. professional sports leagues; five soccer teams — four of which play at the top levels of American soccer in the MLS and NWSL — and the Dallas Wings of the WNBA. Other states that have legalized sports betting have included WNBA teams among eligible licensees more often than soccer franchises.

All 12 top-tier professional franchises are members of the Texas Sports Betting Alliance, a group pushing for legalized sports betting.

Breaking out the other subdivisions

It is uncertain if the LIV Tour, which has a stop in Dallas in June, would be eligible in the language of the resolution. The PGA Tour has four tournaments in Texas, highlighted by the Byron Nelson Classic, while the LPGA will hold two of its five majors this year in the Lone Star State.

Texas has three Class 1 racetracks for horse racing that would be eligible for a license: Lone Star Park, Retama Park, and Sam Houston Race Park. The filing makes no mention of NASCAR and auto racing tracks, leaving Texas Motor Speedway and Circuit of the Americas on the outside looking in among potential licensees.