The blue tsunami that swept across the U.S. on Election Day didn’t just change what Congress will look like come January. It also made it plausible to believe that legal sports betting — and possibly casino gambling — will be meaningfully considered in the second-biggest state in the union.
Democrats will be running the executive branch in Austin for the first time since Ann Richards lost the governorship to George W. Bush in 1994. Gina Hinojosa and Vikki Goodwin, elected as governor and lieutenant governor, respectively, shockingly turned a staunchly red state blue (or maybe dark purple). The great news for the legal gambling industry is that Goodwin, who will preside over the state Senate, supports sending the decision to legalize sports betting and casino gambling to voters. The issue could actually come to a vote in the Senate for the first time.
That said, there is no guarantee that a gambling expansion of any kind will pass, as the Senate still has a Republican majority. A key question that should be answered during the session, however, is whether Texas Republicans are as opposed to a gambling legalization as outgoing Republican Lt. Governor Dan Patrick painted. In many states, the issue is non-partisan.
Jefferies analyst David Katz wrote in an equity research note Wednesday that Goodwin’s win “removes a key Senate obstacle to casino/OSB legislation, although legalization still requires two-thirds approval in both chambers and a statewide vote.”
Democrats won the House, marking the first time since 2002 that the chambers are split.
Patrick, first elected as lieutenant governor in 2014, will no longer have a stranglehold as Senate president on what the chamber will consider. Patrick repeatedly declined to bring gambling bills to the Senate floor, saying that they did not have broad Republican support.
While Gov. Greg Abbott was not as opposed to gambling, the governor has no ability to force a Senate vote.
Goodwin: Texans deserve ‘personal freedom’
Goodwin previously said publicly that she believes Texans want sports betting. A 2025 Rice University poll reported that 59% or more of voters who were surveyed said, regardless of party, that they support online sports betting — and that voters should make the decision. Since legal sports betting became a states’ rights issue in 2018, the Texas legislature has entertained legalization of wagering and of casino destination resorts. Though some bills have gained traction in the House, gambling legalization has been a no-go in the Senate.
In a 2025 interview, Goodwin said that Patrick “oftentimes … thinks he knows best for Texans.
“I think that we should allow personal freedom, personal responsibility in the state of Texas.”
Las Vegas Sands has consistently been lobbying in Austin for legalized gambling, and former Dallas Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban dreamt of developing a sports complex-casino resort. Cuban sold his controlling interest in the team to Las Vegas Sands owner Miriam Adelson and her daughter and son-in-law Sivan and Patrick Dumont in 2023. The Athletic reported Wednesday that the Dumonts are now the sole controlling owners.
The Texas legislature is in session during odd years only. The 2027 session is set to run from Jan. 12-May 31. Bills can be prefiled as early as Nov. 9, the introduction deadline is March 12, and the crossover deadline is May 14.
Other states where climate changed
Alabama: With former college football coach Tommy Tuberville moving into the governor’s mansion, it would seem like the chances for sports betting legalization may improve. The obstacles in Alabama, however, have always been in the legislature, where a Republican majority remains.
A key issue has been the legislature’s repeated attempts to move a massive gambling bill in a state that doesn’t even have a lottery. Lawmakers in other states have found more success moving standalone bills — in particular, separating online sports betting from online casino legalization. In addition, the Poarch Creek Indians already operate brick-and-mortar Las Vegas-style casinos in the state under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), but lawmakers have offered bills either without consultation with the tribe or that would encroach on tribal sovereignty.
Alabama’s legislature is set to open its next session Feb. 2, and bills can be pre-filed before then beginning Dec. 1. The session will run through May 13, and bills introduced in 2027 cannot carry over to 2028.
Minnesota: The possibility of legal sports betting may improve in Minnesota now that the state’s Democrat-Farmer-Liberal (DFL) Party has control of both legislative chambers. Previous bills have gotten through the House, but not the Senate.
But the issues aren’t just in St. Paul. Minnesota’s tribes — which already operate about 20 casinos in the state — want control of sports betting, but the state’s racetracks also want a cut. Besides that, after lawmakers significantly cut funding to charitable gaming, lawmakers last year tried to work a deal where $40 million in sports betting revenue would cover the deficit.
There’s been plenty of negotiation over the last six years, but no resolution. If the interested parties can get on the same page, though, they have a better chance of getting a proposal through the legislature.
The 2027 legislative session is set to run Jan. 12-May 17, and bills introduced in 2027 can carry over to the 2028 session.
Oklahoma: It feels like it almost didn’t matter who won the gubernatorial election, because whoever was going to take up residence in the governor’s mansion wasn’t named Kevin Stitt, who term-limited out. Stitt has been at odds with Oklahoma’s tribes, which will likely control what legal sports betting looks like in the state. And those tribes have been sitting on the sidelines for the last four years just waiting for Stitt to go away.
Tuesday’s gubernatorial election winner, Republican Mike Mazzei, said ahead of the election that he’s open to legal sports betting, but more importantly, he wants to repair the relationship between the state and tribes. Expect the state legislature to entertain legal sports betting in 2027, but don’t bank on it passing the first time around. While the state has a strong casino infrastructure to lean into, it seems unlikely that Indian Country will immediately jump into bed with a state that has treated it so poorly. Rather, expect healthy discussion, bridge building, and the start of crafting a strong foundation.
Bills can be pre-filed as early as Nov. 15 for the 2027 session, which runs from Feb. 1-May 28. The bill filing deadline is Jan. 14, and the crossover deadline is March 25. Legislation introduced in 2027 carries over to the 2028 session.
South Carolina: Sports betting supporters may find a new climate in South Carolina with Alan Wilson elected as successor to fellow Republican Henry McMaster, the anti-gambling governor in office since 2017. On the campaign trail, While he opposes building brick-and-mortar casinos in his state, he told The State that the “internet is everywhere, and obviously, anybody can go online. I don’t want to criminalize conduct that people are doing on their phone.”
South Carolina lawmakers never sent a gambling expansion bill to McMaster. The question is whether they failed to do so because it was certain McMaster would veto it or because the legislature wasn’t ready to legalize. Like other Bible Belt states such as Georgia and Alabama, the culture in South Carolina may be what’s been holding legal sports betting back.
The state’s 2027 legislative session opens Jan. 12 and runs through May 13. The first date to prefile bills is Nov. 9, and bills introduced in 2027 carry over to the 2028 session.
