Notes from Texas Sports Betting Public Hearings

• Multiple sports betting bills were on the discussion panel for the Texas House State Affairs Committee meeting on Wednesday.
• Both HB 1942 and HJR 102 failed to receive an official vote during the committee discussion.

AUSTIN, Texas – The Texas House of Representatives State Affairs Committee reviewed three bills that would all legalize sports betting in Texas to some extent.

The committee began by discussing Texas State Representative Jeff Leach’s proposed House Bill 1942, which would regulate online sports betting across the Lone Star State.

Despite many sports teams and PGA Tour representatives advocating for HB 1942, a large amount of people testified against the bill.

Most of those against HB 1942 cited issues of gambling addictions, financial losses, and Christian values.

Two hours later, Leach closed his discussion of the bill, and HB 1942 was left pending. He then moved onto discussion of House Joint Resolution 102.

HJR102 would legalize sports betting through a constitutional amendment, allowing Texas citizens to vote on the matter in the upcoming 2023 November election. The bill would authorize and regulate legal sports betting in Texas.

Unfortunately, neither of the bills received an official vote after over two and a half hours of testimony.

This doesn’t completely rule out the possibility of legal Texas sports betting, however it does greatly slow it down as the bills still have to go through the tedious legislative process. The unfortunate outcome of the committee’s discussion signals an uphill battle for legal Texas sports betting.

News tags: Jeff Leach | PGA Tour | Texas | TX HB 1942 | TX HJR 102