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Every legislative session, more Texans join the effort to convince state lawmakers to allow casino gambling, or at least call for a statewide referendum so that voters can say whether or not they want them. This year is no different.
Such resorts could provide a major benefit to the Rio Grande Valley, where hotel-casinos could bring more tourists — and more revenue — to South Padre Island and to our local economy. Similar establishments further inland, such as the area between Hidalgo and McAllen that is ripe for development, might prove a popular destination for people from San Antonio, Monterrey and other areas on both sides of the border.
There’s a lot to like about the idea. Anyone who has been to sites such as Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada — and many Valley residents frequently visit those areas, and spend their money there — can attest that gambling is only one benefit of such resorts. They also draw major entertainers, some who even sign contracts for extended stays; imagine having acts such as Luis Miguel, Cirque du Soleil or a Broadway play company performing at an Island resort for months at a time.
The effort to bring casinos to Texas has major backing this year. Officials with Las Vegas Sands, the casino owners who have acquired majority ownership of the Dallas Mavericks, have aligned with the North Texas Commission to lobby for a measure on the subject. Even before the transfer of ownership, former Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban had voiced his support for resort casinos, and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones last year entered into an agreement with a slot machine company that would provide gaming at ATT Stadium if lawmakers, or voters, allow them.
Chances are you’ve seen ads on television and streaming media supporting a measure to allow “destination resorts,” a euphemism for gaming establishments.
Unfortunately, our increasingly prudish state officials seem less likely than ever to support the idea this year. Support from conservative voters has emboldened them to make more decisions based on ideology than the interests of a majority of Texas residents.
Even the argument that a state that runs its own lottery should allow private gaming venues is weaker this year, as the lottery itself is under attack. It’s under sunset review, and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick recently told the Austin American-Statesman that he had no confidence in the lottery, and that there’s a chance that “there won’t be a lottery after the end of May,” when the session ends. Our pathologically litigious attorney general, Ken Paxton, has sued several lottery winners who bought their tickets from third-party vendors who buy blocks of tickets and resell them online. Paxton has sought to invalidate those winnings and keep the money.
Our system of government, at both the federal and state levels, originally were designed to place as much power as possible in the hands of the people — government with the consent of the governed. Gaming proponents only want state lawmakers to let the people of Texas decide whether they want it or not. Unfortunately, that level of democracy might be a bit too much for our current state officials to handle.