Texas Casino Push Continues with New Ad Campaign

The Texas Destination Resort Alliance (TDRA), a political action committee (PAC) seeking to legalize casino resorts in the Lone Star State has launched a new campaign to promote casinos among locals. Texas remains one of the most conservative markets when it comes to gambling but the efforts to change that continue.

“Let Texans Vote on Destination Resorts”

The TDRA’s new ads feature Texans who support casino resorts and believe that such properties would bring much-needed economic stimulus to the state. The ads have a clear message to lawmakers, asking them to allow citizens to vote on the matter.

According to the TDRA, Texans from all walks of life are ready to vote on destination resorts. The PAC and its supporters argue that such resorts would bring better-paying jobs to Texas and would generate additional tax money for education and other causes.

One backer called the legalization of destination resorts a “smart business move” since it would allow Texas to keep money that would otherwise be spent at casinos in other states or at illegal gambling websites. He urged Texans to back the legalization and keep the economy growing.

Earlier TDRA campaigns claimed that more than 500,000 Texans already supported bringing destination resorts to the state.

Texas Is an Untapped Opportunity

As the second most populated state in the US, Texas is seen as an untapped market with a tremendous opportunity. Because of that, casino industry stakeholders have aggressively promoted the launch of destination resorts, hoping to capitalize on the ramping interest in such products.

Currently, local gamblers travel to Louisiana or Nevada to play, depriving Texas of potential tax proceeds.

Casino and hospitality juggernaut Las Vegas Sands has been among the chief proponents of casinos in Texas, sparing no effort in its lobbying initiatives.

Analysts Say Casino Gaming Faces an Uphill Battle

In the meantime, Rice University professor Mark Jones told Casino.org that legalizing casinos would be hard for two main reasons. The first of them is the fact that several Republicans who supported destination resorts have been ousted in the GOP primary or have retired. The other issue is that the new Speaker of the House, Dustin Burrows, won over his Republican rival David Cook, who would have likely backed destination resorts.

However, this doesn’t mean that gambling progress is completely out of the question. Jones suggested that there is some momentum for casino gambling legislation and that Burrows might be reluctant to oppose its backers, lest he lose favor.