No major progress
Despite Las Vegas Sands spending millions of dollars to support candidates in Texas primaries, all of the anti-gambling Republican incumbents remain in office.
pro-gambling challengers in last week’s primaries lost significantly
Five pro-gambling challengers in last week’s primaries lost significantly, some by more than 25% margins. They received hundreds of thousands of dollars in support from the casino company’s political action committees (PACs). This result comes off the back of a $1.2m loss in last November’s Senate special election.
Keeping up the fight
The Sands PAC said in a news release last Wednesday that it won’t give up on lobbying for commercial casinos in Texas. It said that the “long game matters” and it’s “playing to win.”
A big stumbling block is opposition from Republican Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick. The Senate leader has repeatedly said he won’t allow the Senate to vote on gambling expansion bills. He recently secured the Republican nomination for another term as lieutenant governor, which would keep him in place for another four years.
polls have been encouraging for pro-gambling advocates in Texas
Public polls have been encouraging for pro-gambling advocates in Texas. However, allegations of corruption surrounding two lottery wins led to the abolishment of the Texas Lottery Commission in June 2025. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation is taking over the remit.
People also have concerns about the social costs of gambling following several high-profile sports betting scandals.
Looking to expand
Las Vegas Sands will continue its efforts, as legalization of casino gambling in Texas would be extremely lucrative for any casino company that secures a license. It already owns a site in Dallas where it plans to build an integrated resort.
Las Vegas Sands owner Miriam Adelson has a major stake in the Dallas Mavericks NBA team, meaning the company is now deeply embedded in Texas.
It has also lobbied hard in Florida to wrest exclusive control of major land-based casinos from the Seminole Tribe.
Las Vegas Sands still has no US-based properties
Despite these efforts, Las Vegas Sands still has no US-based properties. It sold its remaining Nevada casinos in February 2022, when it divested The Venetian, The Palazzo, and the Venetian Expo Center. The company will instead continue focusing on its successful operations in Macau and Singapore.
