Texas voters will elect a governor and lieutenant governor on November 3 whose positions could shape the next attempt to legalize sports betting and casinos. Prediction market prices favor both Republican incumbents, which would keep the state’s most influential gambling opponent in place.
Texas has no legal sports betting or Las Vegas-style commercial casinos. The Legislature returns for its regular session in January 2027.
Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick faces Democratic state Rep. Vikki Goodwin. Patrick presides over the Senate, appoints committees and decides which bills are referred, and he has said expansion needs support from a majority of Senate Republicans before it moves. In 2023, he said he would not advance a sports betting amendment after the House passed it.
