The Las Vegas Sands is taking it up a notch to make casinos in the Lone Star State a reality. The Las Vegas Sands has a history of being a mover and shaker in more than casinos. Founded by the late Sheldon Adelson, he put his considerable influence and that of the Las Vegas Sands to help get the Oakland Raiders to depart Oakland twice and move to Las Vegas. And while Adelson eventually left out of the deal to finance the Raider’s stadium, there’s no question that the power and charisma of the Las Vegas Sands helped in the relocation.
The Adelson family is the majority owner of the Dallas Mavericks, having bought the team from fellow billionaire owner Mark Cuban in 2023. With such a prominent and lucrative asset in the Lone Star State, the move for casinos in Texas can significantly boost profitability for the Mavericks.
To help the Las Vegas Sands make another power move and add Texas to the casino mix is the Texas Destination Resort Alliance. Working at the behest of Las Vegas Sands, TDRA is spearheading the charge to get Texas State politicians to pass legislation to sanction retail casinos through a recent online petition.
Historically, Texas has taken an anti-casino stance. Specifically, Texas’ Constitution specifically bans most forms of organized gambling, including a state lottery, and unfortunately explains why regulated online casinos in Texas have yet to become a reality.
If enough Texans sign the petition, it just very might put enough public pressure to reconsider the matter. But, to make casinos possible, the Lone Star State’s constitution would have to be amended to undo the anti-gambling passages. Texas has a history, or depending on which side of the political spectrum you’re on, is a stubbornly conservative state. So, a change of this magnitude might not go over well and might develop into a long-term battle.
However, part of the reason Cuban allegedly agreed to sell the Mavericks was that he believed in the Adelson family’s vision to bring a state-of-the-art casino and resort, most specifically in the Dallas region. The Dallas and Fort Worth area is the nation’s fourth-largest market.
Besides Mark Cuban, it appears that some Dallas congressmen, specifically Chad West of the Dallas City Council, are on board with a casino in the Dallas metro. Chad West was one of many Texas officials who were disappointed from last year’s attempt to get at least a two-thirds majority to approve amending the state’s constitution to license poker and online sports betting. Even if Texas’s state legislature gets the two-thirds majority, Texas residents still have to vote in favor of legalizing casinos in the Lone Star State.
