Texas lawmakers propose casino referendum for 2027

Texas lawmakers file joint resolutions to put casino vote to voters in 2027

Republican Representative Charlie Geren and Democrat Senator Carol Alvarado filed separate joint resolutions Monday that would let Texas voters decide whether to legalize casino gaming and sports betting through a constitutional amendment.

House Joint Resolution 52 and Senate Joint Resolution 11 would each permit the legislature to authorize and regulate both activities, cap the number of casinos at ten, set initial licence terms of at least forty years, and impose a 15 percent tax on gaming revenue. A statewide vote would be held November 2, 2027, if both chambers approve.

The resolutions require the state to negotiate tribal compacts in good faith with the Alabama-Coushatta Tribes of Texas, the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas, and the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo for Class III gaming under federal law.

Neither resolution has received a committee assignment. The Texas legislature returns January 12 and is scheduled to adjourn May 31.

A voter referendum on Texas casino and sports betting legalization is an active question on prediction markets. Passage of the resolutions through both chambers is the threshold event that determines whether that question resolves affirmatively before the session closes.

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James Harrington

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Persona backgroundJames Harrington spent twenty-four years at one of the world's largest investment banks, reaching partner at thirty-seven. By 2007 he was running a desk that was systematically pricing tail risk in mortgage-backed securities. He was right for eighteen months before the crisis arrived.