A Fort Worth Republican wants Texas voters to finally settle the state's long-running gambling debate at the ballot box. State Rep. Charlie Geren filed legislation that would let voters decide whether to allow casinos and sports betting in Texas, with the proposal contingent on approval of a constitutional amendment.
Geren's bill would authorize the Legislature to “authorize and strictly regulate” casino gambling and sports wagering, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, which first reported the filing. Geren represents Fort Worth in the Texas House. The legislation would cap the state at no more than 10 licensed casino facilities, with initial license terms running at least 40 years, and it would require operator licenses, application fees, and a tax on gaming revenue, per the same report.
Lawmakers would still have to hammer out the details if the amendment clears both the Legislature and the voters. The bill requires lawmakers to set regulations for sports betting and casino gambling, including how many casinos exist, where they're located, and where sports betting could legally take place.
Geren Says a No Vote Would End the Debate
Geren framed the proposal as a way to let the public settle the question once and for all. “If they say 'no,' then we're done with it forever,” he said, according to the Star-Telegram. He added that approval would simply clear the way for the Legislature to act: “We can move forward,” Geren said.
Under the proposal, Texas voters would consider the constitutional amendment on the November 2027 ballot if it passes the Legislature as filed. Right now, the state's gambling footprint is limited to a state lottery, horse and greyhound racing, and a handful of tribal casinos — gambling otherwise remains largely illegal in Texas.
A Divided Legislature and a Familiar Fight
Geren's bill lands in a Legislature newly split along partisan lines, with Democrats having won control of the House while Republicans continue to hold the Senate, the Star-Telegram reported. State Sen. Carol Alvarado appears to have filed a similar measure in the Senate, though its text wasn't available online as of about 5 p.m. Monday, according to the same report.
Efforts to expand casinos and legalize sports betting in Texas have floundered in recent years, the Star-Telegram noted. The filing comes as the broader 2027 legislative session gears up — more than 1,260 bills had already been filed by 5 p.m. Monday, when filing opened, according to The Texas Tribune. The 90th session of the Texas Legislature is scheduled to convene Jan. 12, the Tribune reported, and legislative sessions typically see thousands of bills filed, most of which never become law.
Why Gambling Bills Have Stalled Before
Gambling expansion has a rocky history in Austin. In 2023, the Texas House passed a proposed constitutional amendment that would have let lawmakers authorize sports betting, clearing the chamber 101-42, but the measure never got a vote in the Senate, according to Click2Houston. Click2Houston has also reported that the departure of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick removes a major obstacle that has prevented gambling legislation from advancing through the Senate, though that reporting does not establish that an expansion is now imminent.
Patrick, the Republican lieutenant governor whose control of the Senate was described as a roadblock to expanded gambling, had long opposed legalized sports betting. As of March 2025, the Texas Standard reported that Patrick's “disdain for sports betting remains,” even as other prominent Texans — including former Gov. Rick Perry and Gov. Greg Abbott — had voiced support for a change, per the Texas Standard. That same report detailed Alvarado's 2025 effort, Senate Joint Resolution 16, which proposed legal sports wagering and casino gambling at destination resorts overseen by a Texas Gaming Commission.
Lieutenant Governor-elect Vikki Goodwin has expressed openness to putting gambling to a vote of Texans, per WFAA. Her incoming role atop the Senate could shape whether Geren's bill, or Alvarado's companion measure, gets further than past attempts.
How Other States Are Handling Gambling Expansion
Texas isn't alone in wrestling with gambling expansion through the ballot box. In Nebraska, voters were set to decide on paired measures allowing online sports wagering tied to licensed racetracks, with both measures required to pass for the system to take effect, according to iGaming Business. Indiana's 2026 legislation created a pathway for a new casino in Allen, DeKalb or Steuben County, contingent on local voter approval, the outlet reported, while in Virginia, local approval would only clear the way for a licensing process for pari-mutuel wagering at satellite facilities — not settle planning or operating questions outright.
If the bill advances as filed, the decision would ultimately rest with Texas voters in November 2027.
