Poll: Texans support destination casinos, online sports gambling, split on sportsbooks at stadiums

Gambling is a hot topic in the Texas Legislature. A new poll shows that Texans are split about where it should and shouldn’t be allowed.

The Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation surveyed 1,600 likely Texas voters earlier this month about three legislative proposals to legalize sports betting in the Lone Star State.

56 percent of the people surveyed supported the construction and operation of Destination Resort Casinos in Texas, compared to just 30 percent who opposed.

The poll found 47 percent of Texans support legalizing online sports gambling compared to 37 percent who said they were against it.

The only measure with more people in opposition (42 to 41) was to legalize the operation of sportsbooks at Texas professional sports venues.

The polling found men were much more likely to support the bills legalizing gambling than women.

The breakdown was fairly evenly split among political affiliations.

The push to legalize gambling in Texas has increased in recent years.

“Given the results of this survey, it is clear that the public appetite for additional gaming opportunities now matches the political appetite, not only with traditional supporters of gaming, but also with church-going Texans and women – that is a major change from what we have seen in recent legislative cycles,” said Jason Villalba, Chairman and CEO of the TXHPF in a statement.

Casino company Las Vegas Sands, which is owned by the Adelson family, who recently purchased the Dallas Mavericks, is behind a push to get Texas to legalize gambling.

READ MORE: Casinos in Texas: Dallas City Council divided over statewide gambling

The group, under the name the Texas Destination Resort Alliance, is calling on Texans to sign a petition to show its support for lawmakers to legalize casinos.

Bills supporting casinos and sports betting were rejected by the Texas Legislature last year.