Gamble For Free

In Austin (Texas), The Texas Legislature are reviewing it all! From casino gambling at Indian reservations and holiday resorts… to video slots at horse racing tracks. Lobbyists from all the gambling sectors are working hard to win support. The next couple of weeks is going to be very crucial if changes start happening.

The lawmakers are not progressively looking for extra sources of revenue, like taxes on gambling, especially since billions of dollars in federal stimulus money are coming to the state of Texas… But it could change very quickly.

Republican House Speaker Joe Straus said the following…
“It’s been my observation that the Legislature looks more favorably upon the expansion of gaming legislation in years where it looks like the budget is going to be difficult to make without it. This doesn’t appear to be one of those years as we’re figuring our way through the stimulus package”.

Straus has family ties to a horse racing business and this has fueled speculation that gambling measures might become less stricter than usual. Straus did remove himself from decisions on gambling laws, and recently last week in an interview with The Associated Press he declined to comment on which gambling legislation stands the best chance of approval.

So many others are willing discuss casinos… Indian tribal leaders, representatives of dog and horse racing tracks, owners of resort casinos and those opposed to gambling. Suzii Paynter, director of the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission said recently… “There’s a lot of vote-counting going on right now”.

New gambling proposals emerged before the bill-filing deadline. A two-thirds majority in the legislative chambers would be needed first for casino proposals that would require voter approval of a state constitutional amendment.

Last Wednesday, an ally of Straus, Speaker Pro Tempore Craig Eiland of Galveston, filed legislation with Rep. Carol Alvarado of Houston that would let voters make a decision in November on whether to allow casino gambling on islands like Galveston, in large cities and on the Indian reservations. It would also allow expanded gambling at current race tracks. If voters do approve, then the governor would have to call the Legislature back by June 2010 so to work out all the details.

Alvarado said… “I think that Texans spend way too much money in Louisiana and Nevada and other states that allow gambling… Texans like to gamble”. I like to gamble too!