Governor Greg Abbott seems to have firmly closed the door on casino-style gambling in Texas ahead of the 90th Legislative Session, delivering welcome news for hardworking Texas families and taxpayers who prioritize fiscal discipline over predatory revenue schemes.
On March 31, during a press conference in Galveston focused on his property tax relief plan, Abbott was directly asked about gambling legalization. He was unambiguous in his response: “All I can tell you is what the law says, and that is, gambling is unconstitutional in the state of Texas, and I don’t see that changing in the next session.”1
The Governor is exactly right. Article III, Section 47 of the Texas Constitution2 requires the Legislature to prohibit gambling enterprises, with only narrow exceptions for charitable bingo, raffles, and the existing state lottery, which was added in November 1991.
Texas law is clear: any game (minus the narrow exceptions) involving chance and a prize constitutes illegal gambling. That prohibition has yet to be undone as a result of pro-casino lobbyist spending.
In a December 2025 interview3 with CBS News Texas, Abbott stated he was “not there yet” on supporting a constitutional amendment to legalize casino gambling, citing growing concerns over addiction, sports betting scandals involving athletes “on the take,” and potential harm to Texas culture and sporting events. While that earlier stance already signaled caution, his March statement in Galveston goes further, flatly declaring that he does not see the law changing in the upcoming session and affirming the constitutionality of Texas’s longstanding prohibition on gambling.
Abbott’s Galveston statement is a positive development for Texans. Leaders should focus on genuine fiscal responsibility rather than chasing gambling-derived revenues that prey on vulnerable Texans, which lead to increased social services, addiction treatment, and broken communities.
TFR strongly supports Governor Abbott’s continued opposition to casino gambling, as it directly advances our priority of stopping the expansion of predatory gambling and “taxation by exploitation” in Texas. To help lead this effort, TFR launched the Texas Anti-Predatory Gambling Alliance (TAPGA) to be the tip of the spear in the fight.4 We are bringing together citizens, leaders, and organizations across the state who are determined to keep Texas from falling victim to the predatory gambling industry. If you share our commitment to protecting Texas families, we invite you to join us by signing the TAPGA petition HERE.5
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- https://www.youtube.com/live/nIKQFaZLN1M?si=fy0BB5WT0gXFQ0AW&t=773 ↩︎
- https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/?tab=2&code=CN&chapter=CN.3&artSec=3.47 ↩︎
- https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/governor-abbott-not-support-changing-texas-constitution-legalize-casino-gambling/ ↩︎
- https://tapga.org/ ↩︎
- https://texans-for-fiscal-responsibility-b8857f75.revv.co/tapgapetition ↩︎
