As my 2301 classes begin to cover interest groups, it might be worth pondering the various interests at issue over proposals to approve casino gambling in the state:
Gambling interests have pressed for casinos in Texas for several legislative sessions, but they’ve always hit road blocks in this conservative state. This year may be no different, in part because Texas legislators aren’t desperate for new money sources.
High-profile lawmakers from both parties are behind the casino effort. What could be their undoing is a back-room fight between race track owners and resort casino backers who can’t agree on how licenses and locations would be decided.
Those who want casinos say Texans are already gambling, but they’re going to out-of-state casinos. Gambling proponents want to keep that cash in Texas and use some of the casino taxes on needs like college scholarships and road building.
“We have loads and loads of buses going across the state lines, airplanes filled with constituents of yours and mine going to Las Vegas,” said Rep. Chente Quintanilla, an El Paso Democrat.
Opponents, including the Baptist Christian Life Commission, argue that casinos suck money out of local economies and don’t produce the economic benefits they promise.
“The casino industry is making big, untenable promises of revenue to the state,” said Suzii Paynter, director of the Christian Life Commission. The commission, which contends casinos profit off of gambling addiction, has maintained a visible presence at the Capitol this spring lobbying against gambling measures.
