People who enjoy games of chance will play them. The popularity of lottery games, bingo and even 8-liner establishments, especially in the Rio Grande Valley, offers plenty of proof.
Texas’ prohibition of casino gambling and other forms of betting has only created a market for flights and buses that take people from the Valley to Las Vegas and Louisiana gaming centers.
Global Gaming Business magazine estimates that Texans spend $5 billion every year gambling in neighboring states. That money could stay here if casinos were added to the many other tourist attractions Texas has to offer. Millions more are won and lost in clandestine gaming centers and unregulated online sites.
South Padre Island already is one of our state’s top resort destinations, making it one of the best locations for a casino in this state.
Previous bills that would allow casino gambling in Texas always have failed. Most observers, and many lawmakers themselves, however, say it’s only a matter of time before such a bill finally passes.
That time should be now.
House Speaker Dade Phelan and Gov. Greg Abbott both have said they’re open to seeing a bill during the current legislative session that would allow casinos in Texas.
One bill already has been filed; unfortunately, it would lock out South Texas as a gambling site. Valley legislators and others who see the obvious benefits of placing a casino in the Valley should work to either change the existing bill or replace it with one that is less restrictive.
State Sen. Carol Alvarado, D-Houston, has submitted a bill that would offer a constitutional amendment to create a state gaming commission and allow casino gambling as well as sports betting. Legalized betting, including online games, could bring in billions of dollars to the state economy. It would legitimize an industry that already operates underground without a regulatory agency to protect players from unscrupulous managers who might defraud them.
However, her bill would allow only four casinos in the state, and they would have to be placed in major cities with populations of at least 2 million people.
Certainly, Texas voters need to approve the creation of a gaming commission. However, restrictions on the number and placement of casinos should be a matter of simple legislation. We shouldn’t have to amend the Constitution just to open another casino in the state, or place it in an outlying area away from crowded population and traffic centers — such as the old Valley Race Park location in Harlingen or the area between McAllen and Hidalgo, where it could draw visitors from both sides of the border.
Established tourist destinations such as the Island are natural sites to consider placing a gaming center. As far back as 2006, developers and investors already have sought to forge contingent lease agreements with Cameron County to place a casino on the Island when they are allowed.
Major casino companies already have lobbyists in Austin working for legislation that would allow them to build in this state. We trust that they, Valley lawmakers and other reasonable Texans will see the sense in including the Valley in any plans to bring casinos to the state.
