Pushes to bring sports betting and expanded casino gambling to Texas have fallen flat during recent legislative sessions, including in 2021 when issues like COVID-19, the February winter storm and election bills took up much of lawmakers’ attention. “They all say, ‘We wish it was in Texas,’” she said. LePoris estimates that their family business alone has taken 3,500 Texans to casinos in other states. It’s a lucrative business, one that some would like to see in Texas.īut Texas has some of the strictest gambling laws in the nation, with limited casino gambling and as one of about 20 states where sports betting is still illegal. If the parking lots of Oklahoma’s casinos are any indication, thousands of Texans regularly travel to nearby states to play their odds. When they arrive, the parking lot of Kiowa Casino and Hotel across from Burkburnett is filled with cars bearing Texas license plates. A few people sit in their cars on a windy morning waiting to join her and her husband on a charter bus they will drive to Oklahoma as part of a family business. Janine LePoris starts her Sunday at a Cracker Barrel off Interstate 35W in Fort Worth. Texas casino gambling and sports betting: What are the odds the state will legalize it?įort Worth Star-Telegram – Eleanor Dearman