Casino Bill to Give Way to Twelve Destination Resorts in Texas
While casino gambling is slowly becoming a phenomenon in the United States, some states have always shied away from the activity. But Texas has different plans. The state seeks to become a prominent player in the country’s emerging gambling scenario. A new casino bill is underway that would probably make this dream a reality for Texas.
House Bill 3043
Authored by State Representative Roland Gutierrez, the Texas casino bill (House Bill 3043) is eliciting senators and lawmakers in the state to change their opinion about commercial casino gaming. The bill is an urge not only for casinos but also make Texas a more involved state in the billion-dollar gaming industry.
Roland Gutierrez believes that Texas is losing whopping sums of money as neighboring states pursue their gambling activities in a full-blown manner. Players from Texas can visit New Mexico, Oklahoma and Louisiana to participate in tribal and commercial casinos. But Texas residents can now enjoy casino offerings right in their state once Gutierrez’s bill gets passed.
Twelve destination resort gaming venues could come to Texas when this bill is passed. Presently, Texas has one Native American casino, the Kickapoo Lucky Eagle, which offers slot machines.
Specifics of the proposal
The House Bill 3042 does not lay down a complete workout of the cost of each license. Instead, the legislation bestows the Texas Lottery Commission with the responsibility to oversee the liberalized gaming industry. The commission would establish necessary and reasonable fees to compensate for the costs incurred in running the casinos.
Roland Gutierrez opined that Texas needs a taxation system that does away with raising the property taxes of folks. The bill might be passed by the Republican-controlled legislature and signed by Governor Greg Abbott. Even if this happens, each community where casinos are proposed would require a voter referendum to approve the twelve venues.
Roland Gutierrez isn’t the only one from Texas who seeks to end the ban on commercial casinos. The Lone Star state has also seen Representative Joe Deshotel proposing a legislation last year that would give a green signal to casino gambling activities along the coastline.
Deshotel has been advocating online gambling in Texas for several years now. Given the strong opposition for the activity prevailing in the state, both Deshotel and Gutierrez face a tough time in garnering support for casinos and sports betting.
Although nothing much can be said about the bill’s enforcement right now, we can still expect that it would give a boost to Texas’s economy, especially when gambling and sports betting are gaining so much heat in the country.
