Ahead of the 2023 Texas Legislature meeting, billionaire Miriam Adelson, whose family owns the Las Vegas Sands casino and resort company, negotiated $3.3 million with politicians and political committees in her push to legalize gambling, betting and allow casino resorts in Texas, United States.
Pro-gaming bills gained little traction last year in the Legislature, but Adelson is going even further heading into the 2025 session, doling out about $13.7 million in political donations in the first 10 months of 2024.
The power of money in legislative decisions
The donations went primarily to two political action committees that distributed the money to lawmakers, candidates and other political committees across Texas.
More than $8.2 million ended up in the hands of Texas Republicans, including 14 six-figure donations to House Republicans and significant contributions to legislative leaders — $200,000 to Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, who presides over the Senate, and $1.02 million to House Speaker Dade Phelan, who barely survived a primary challenge in May.
Phelan, a Republican from Beaumont, also received $50,000 directly from Adelson — the only elected official to receive a direct contribution from her. Phelan and Abbott expressed support for establishing casino resorts in Texas. Democrats received $948,500 of Adelson’s money.
The 2025 legislative session, which begins Jan. 14, is the first since Adelson’s family purchased a majority stake in the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks. Mark Cuban, the former majority owner, wanted to partner with Las Vegas Sands to build a new arena in the middle of a casino resort.
The expansion of gambling remains an uphill battle in Texas. Patrick said he told Las Vegas Sands there wasn’t enough support among Senate Republicans to pass a casino expansion bill.
Republicans and casinos: allies or opponents?
“You don’t pass major legislation in a red, conservative state with Democrats running the show, particularly on a major bill like this,” Patrick told WFAA on Nov. 7.
Additionally, the Texas Republican Party’s 2024 platform opposes gaming expansion and calls on lawmakers to reject contributions from pro-gaming groups or lobbyists.
Still, Andy Abboud, senior vice president of government relations for Las Vegas Sands, said the effort to bring casino resorts to Texas has received an “overwhelming amount of support from Texans and lawmakers since it was first introduced, and the wave of momentum only continues to grow.”
“Texans want to decide and vote on this issue, and we look forward to working with the Legislature to give them that opportunity this session,” Abboud said in a statement.
The Dallas Morning News tabulated Adelson’s donations by reviewing campaign records from the Texas Ethics Commission. Adelson said:
- $4.1 million to Texas Sands PAC, the casino industry’s leading political action committee
- $9.05 million to Texas Defense PAC, a new political action committee that donated to Republican incumbents in the Texas House.
Adelson’s donation was the only source of funding for the Texas Defense PAC. It occurred several weeks before the May 28 Republican primary runoffs. The group spent a little more than $6.2 million but had $2.3 million on hand. A record made on October 28 reveals these numbers.
Expansion of gambling in Texas
Expanding gambling in Texas requires an amendment to the state constitution. Amendments require approval by two-thirds of the House and Senate, and then approval by a majority of voters in a statewide election.
The gaming industry made bigger gains in 2023 by managing to bring two pro-gaming bills to the House floor for a vote:
- A proposal backed by Las Vegas Sands would have allowed eight resort casinos. Thus, 92 representatives supported the proposed amendment, but the 100 votes necessary for approval were lacking.
- The Chamber approved a bill to legalize online gambling with 100 votes, but the Senate did not comment. The house left it at a standstill, without taking any action on the legislation.
Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston, said it was smart for Las Vegas Sands to get a break with lawmakers. Lawmakers often needed several sessions to pass sweeping bills, such as those related to gaming.
While money could make a difference in the Legislature, Rottinghaus said the issue “needs to resonate with state politics right now.”
