Texas has not put steady money behind a statewide program for gambling addiction in decades, leaving a thin patchwork of clinicians and nonprofits to handle people in crisis. Into that funding void stepped Las Vegas Sands this spring, with the Texas Coalition on Problem Gambling accepting a roughly $100,000 gift to boost counselor training, lobby for a state certification program, and launch a Texas-specific hotline.
Where the safety net disappeared
State lawmakers created a “compulsive gambling program” back in 1991 and set aside about $2 million a year to identify and treat problem gamblers. In its first two years, the program helped roughly 760 people. Then the floor dropped out: funding was cut in 1996, and the last state-backed hotline went dark after the agency overseeing the program was dissolved in 2004. The statute itself later made its way back into state law, but no dedicated state dollars have been assigned to it since, according to The Texas Tribune.
Coalition's surprise sponsor and plans
The Texas Coalition on Problem Gambling now lists Las Vegas Sands among its 2026 sponsors and argues that private support is the fastest practical way to scale up clinician training, certification, and outreach across the state. The group, an affiliate of the National Council on Problem Gambling, is pushing for a Texas-specific certification for therapists, social workers, and nurses, and says it hopes to stand up a statewide hotline before the year is out. Those goals, along with the coalition’s sponsor list, are detailed on the organization’s website, Texas Coalition on Problem Gambling.
Why the gift raises red flags
Not everyone is thrilled about a casino heavyweight bankrolling treatment efforts in a state that still bans most commercial gambling. Some advocates see the money as badly needed, no-strings-attached support, while others are wary of corporate image-polishing. “This is in some ways just to create a veneer of respectability,” Russ Coleman of Texans Against Gambling told The Texas Tribune, which reported that Sands’ roughly $100,000 contribution was the largest gift in the coalition’s history. Sands did not respond to multiple requests for comment, the Tribune noted.
Scope of the problem
Researchers warn that young adults are especially exposed as betting apps, daily fantasy contests, and prediction markets multiply and become part of everyday phone time. A survey by Siena Research Institute found that 27% of Americans have an active online sportsbook account and flagged patterns of increasingly risky play. The NCPG says Texas remains one of only a handful of states with no dedicated public funding for problem gambling services, a gap advocates argue must be closed if treatment is ever going to extend beyond a few specialized clinics and volunteers. Siena and the NCPG provide the data and broader context behind those concerns.
What comes next
The coalition says the Sands money will go toward clinician certification courses, outreach in schools and community settings, and the groundwork for a Texas hotline, while the group presses the Legislature to finally create a stable funding stream. The Texas Lottery, for its part, maintains problem-gambling resources and awareness messaging but does not provide direct state funding for treatment, leaving private donations as the most immediate way to expand care in the near term. The Texas Coalition on Problem Gambling and the Texas Lottery lay out both the current limits and the plans to address them.
