Texas Legalize Gambling
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DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF News) — A Republican megadonor is behind a new effort to convince the state legislature to legalize casino gambling in Texas. Sheldon Adelson, whose Las Vegas Sands casino empire is among the world’s largest gaming companies, will bankroll what the Texas Tribune calls “a stable of high-powered lobbyists for the upcoming.
Texas has the strictest gambling laws in the country, but could the state benefit from changing its outlook? Texas Hold ‘Em is perhaps the most popular card game in the world, but if you were to play it in the state that it took its name from, you could find yourself facing a $500 misdemeanor fine.
Texas has some of the strictest gambling laws in the whole of the United States, if not the entire western world. Penal Code 47.01 prohibits almost every form of gambling in the state, apart from a few bizarre exceptions like dog and horse racing.
Roulette, slot casino wagering and sports betting are all strictly off-limits in Texas (well, almost strictly off-limits, but we’ll get to that later). In this article, we take an in-depth look at what is and isn’t legal in the state, as well as hypothesizing whether Texas would benefit from adopting the same approach to gambling as the United Kingdom.
Legalizing casinos, eight-liners — even fantasy sports — all remain long shots for now in Texas as state lawmakers prepare to wrap up their legislative work by the end of May. Should Texas legalize gambling? Readers sound off. Editor’s note: We asked members of our Sounding Off list about expanding gambling in Texas, and this is a sampling of their responses. As The Chronicle points out, however, casino gambling is barred by the Texas Constitution. This means even if HB 494 passes and is signed by Gov. Greg Abbott, Texas voters would have the final say.
What is illegal in Texas?
Under the Penal Code, any form of gambling, defined as a bet placed on the premise of winning or losing something based purely on chance, is illegal. The following activities are classed definitively as gambling and are therefore illegal in Texas:
1. Casino gambling
All forms of casino gambling are illegal in Texas.
Every game on offer in a casino, from slot machines to poker, blackjack, and roulette, is categorized as gambling and is considered illegal. The law is not just limited to landbased casinos but it also applies to online companies looking to provide casino games to customers, too. Texan people currently cannot enjoy the amazing variety of games people can access in the UK at registered, popular sites like 888 Casino, where you’ll find exhilarating graphics and exciting games, including online roulette, blackjack, and poker.
However, there is one notable exception to this law which prohibits ‘keeping a gambling place’. In Native American lands, this law is not applicable meaning there are one or two places within the state where you can enjoy casino gambling facilities.
2. Sports betting
A night spent wagering on greyhound racing is legal in Texas, whilst more mainstream sports betting is not.
Wagering on the outcome of any mainstream sport in Texas is illegal and subject to the $500 misdemeanor fine. That applies to betting shops which are strictly prohibited and also the use of sports betting websites that may be registered in a different state or country.
Horse racing and dog racing are however exempt from these laws, but only at licensed premises where you are permitted to bet just off the track. Simulcast races and ontrack pari-mutuel wagering are legal for horse racing.
Whilst there is a limit of three racetrack licenses for greyhound wagering with simulcast races and on-track pari-mutuel wagering also being legal.
3. Social Gambling
You may well think that social gambling would cover any form of gambling played between friends, such as a poker night or a special casino-style evening. However, in Texas social gambling refers solely to bingo and raffles sponsored by charitable organizations or licensed lotteries.
These activities are legal and enjoyed by many Texas residents. Social gambling in the non-legal sense is not. Even if you’re just playing a friendly game of cards at home with your friends you are all technically breaking the law.
Are there plans to loosen gambling laws in Texas?
Some states in the USA have legalized gambling, with it becoming increasingly popular.
The entire country is currently facing a crossroads when it comes to gambling, particularly the online derivative. In many states across the USA, there is a clear disparity between land-based gambling and online gambling with the latter almost always being illegal or at least partially prohibited.
At the time of writing a small handful of states have taken the bold step to legalize most forms of online gambling and are currently reaping the economic benefits. This has led to a lot more states putting forward tentative legislation to do the same, and it is expected that most states will have moved towards legalization by at least 2021.
Texas, however, is one of the most traditionally conservative states in the USA and will most likely be one of the last, if not the last states to loosen their gambling laws. There is a bill currently on the docket that pro-gambling advocates are pushing for, but that concerns mainly sports betting.
It is therefore likely that sports betting will be the first gambling act to be legalized throughout Texas. Gambling fans will, however, have to wait at least a few more years to see any further movement on casino, cards, and online gambling laws.
Is it worth loosening the gambling laws?
The arguments for and against gambling laws often become heated and extreme. One of the best and calmest way to analyze the effects of looser gambling laws is by being objective and looking to the example of the United Kingdom, a country that has previously struggled with gambling legislation but is now providing a successful blueprint.
British Gambling: An overview
Online gambling in the UK is booming, with the economy seeing significant boosts from since it was introduced.
In the United Kingdom (excluding Northern Ireland) almost every form of gambling is legal, ranging from casino betting and lotteries to online sports wagering. That policy of legalization has been hugely beneficial for the country.
The British economy has grown and benefitted from the widespread legalization of gambling. The industry in its entirety represents annual revenues of £15 billion ($19.76 billion) and provides hundreds of thousands of jobs.
One of the biggest arguments against gambling legalization is always the social problems that may be incurred by gambling. However, in the UK experts claim that extra exposure to gambling has resulted in a more mature attitude to gambling, with a population who’s less likely to encounter problems with gambling.
The National Lottery in the UK has been running for the better part of three decades is one of the biggest contributors to charity in the country. It has helped to fund various schemes and enterprises as well as provide funding to the Olympic teams. In addition to this, every gambling operator in the country is required to donate a percentage of their turnover to gambling charities which provide help to those struggling with gambling problems.
Summary
On the balance of all available evidence, it is safe to say that the legalization of gambling in the UK has had a positive impact on a range of measurable areas. With public opinion beginning to lean towards a similar approach in the USA and Texas, perhaps lawmakers should look to follow their lead?
If we learned anything in the United States from prohibition, it was that making something illegal doesn’t stop it from happening (and usually makes it worse). The history of gambling in the US is surely interesting and it’s something we still have to fight for til this day.
I think that when it comes to so-called “vices” in society, there’s always going to be someone arguing against them from a moral standpoint. That’s exactly what we saw in the 1930s in the days of prohibition. Huge numbers of people who argued against the legal sale of alcohol were primarily church goers who argued almost solely from a position of morality.
When they abuse it (or become full alcoholics), they can be violent and a drain on society.
So if we outlaw it, people will stop drinking! People who might have become alcoholics will be safe and protected from this evil scourge. Society as a whole will benefit.
Will Texas Legalize Gambling
This leaves out all the positive benefits of alcohol of course and assumes that the role of government is to protect people from themselves and restrict their freedoms, but honestly, that’s a bit beside the point here.
Here’s the real point—did it work? And would it work for gambling?
If you know anything about prohibition, you know that it didn’t.
First of all, we can thank prohibition for organized crime in this country. Sure, there was organized crime before to a degree, but they really struggled for funding. When alcohol, which was and is hugely profitable and popular, was suddenly made illegal, the demand didn’t disappear. If anything, it got worse.
There was profit to be made, but all legal alcohol producers were out of business. Some entrepreneurial criminals (who were already committing crimes anyway) say “Gee, we should sell this stuff! Beats the heck out of beating people up for money and robbing banks.”
And they did. And they made an enormous amount of money.
Drinking didn’t stop.
Were these men alcoholics? Certainly a handful may have been, but the vast majority were normal people like you and me.
Will Texas Legalize Gambling Soon
They enjoyed their drinking, and they didn’t like being told what to do. That’s pretty much how you could describe the entire country.
You can apply the same line of thinking to any type of problem you name that’s been made illegal. Making gambling illegal will absolutely not stop gambling.
Instead, it will drive gambling underground.
And that’s where we start to run into problems.
1- People Are Going to Gamble Whether It’s Legal or Not
Just like people were going to drink during prohibition despite it being illegal, people are going to gamble no matter what.
I think where people get really tripped up on this issue is that, in their eyes (the prohibitionists), gambling is basically evil (obviously it’s not). But let’s look through their eyes. They see gambling as a sin, and they often see it on the same level as murder or theft. It’s wrong no matter how they look at it.
But for the average person, this is obviously flawed thinking. Murder and theft are crimes that have direct victims. It is impossible for me to steal something without there being a victim.
The same is not the case with gambling or drinking.
Now those who think it should be outlawed will argue that there are victims, that when someone gambles all their money away (which happens extremely rarely), that their families or friends are harmed. I certainly don’t deny that.
The difference is that those victims are not happening in every case. In fact, people become victims so rarely that you have to wonder if it’s really the gambling or alcohol that’s responsible at all. Something like 2.6% of people in the U.S. have a problem gambling. That means that over 97% of people who gamble do so just fine, without creating victims.
So these people think that because victims are marginally possible that the practice should be outlawed completely? That’s way different than theft or murder, which produces a victim in every case.
By that line of thinking, cars should be illegal. Most people don’t know someone who has a problem gambling (because it’s so rare), but almost everyone knows someone who has had their life changed because of a car wreck.
Then they might say, “Well cars serve a purpose! Gambling doesn’t. It’s just a bunch of games.” First of all, I would argue that games serve a hugely positive purpose in society, but let’s lay that aside for a moment. By this line of thinking, all sports should be illegal. Soccer can be dangerous. People drink too much at games. Sometimes there’s even stampedes.
Yet where are the advocates to shut down soccer entirely? They’re hard to find.
Gambling is absolutely a victimless crime. The people who are committing crimes who happen to also gamble are the ones responsible for the problems, not the gambling. If you take away the gambling, they’ll find some outlet for their problems.
So because gambling is a victimless act (just like drinking), people aren’t going to view it the same as theft or murder. They’re going to partake anyway because they just don’t feel bad about it (and they shouldn’t!).
Almost all adults can drink alcohol just fine and act responsibly. The same is true for gambling. Alcohol and gambling are not directly responsible for issues that problem gamblers or problem drinkers cause—the problem gamblers and problem drinkers are the problem.
2- Legalized Gambling Eliminates the Criminal Element (And Reduces It in Other Ways)
When prohibition took place back in the 1930s, alcohol began being created and distributed by criminals. No business could get away with it, and any that tried would have to have a large operation that would almost certainly get found out.
So what happened is that most alcohol was being produced by small numbers of people who had deep levels of trust with each other (or who operated completely alone). Their goal was to make money, and they did.
They weren’t exactly worried about health standards.
This led to a number of problems. When alcohol was legal, there were standards and rules as to how it was made. If a business was selling alcohol that was low quality or actually poisoning people, they’d quickly go out of business, so that became rare. In fact, the best way to make money was to produce high quality alcohol, so suppliers employed people who had a great deal of experience.
When everything moved underground, two things happened. One was that alcohol became suddenly much more valuable (because it was in high demand with a low supply). The other was that all the people who knew how to create great alcohol weren’t doing so because it was illegal.
High demand, high potential profit, and nobody around to make it who knew what they were doing.
Every criminal with even an inkling of how to produce alcohol now had a huge incentive to start producing the stuff. Many people died or went blind during prohibition because they drank low-quality alcohol.
That’s what happens when something victimless is made illegal—criminals take over, and they reduce quality and cause harm.
The exact same thing would happen with gambling were it made completely illegal. It already does happen in states where gambling is illegal.
However, because it’s illegal, it essentially has to be run by criminals. Casino owners and operators across the world are incredibly intelligent, high-functioning individuals who know how to run a business and value customer service. Land based or real money online casinos, just like any other product or service in the world, legal gambling is run at a high level of quality because business owners know quality leads to more money.
Underground gambling doesn’t have this same mindset. First of all, you’re dealing with criminals, so they’re not worried about quality really at all. Second, they have a hard-to-find product. They don’t need to have a high level of quality because they’re the only show in town.
Third, because they’re already criminals, they don’t mind bringing other criminal elements along with them. Illegal gambling can be dangerous for precisely this reason. Many of the people willing to set up something illegal like this may be violent people or have other criminal intentions. They might just rob you and take your money.
Texas Legalizing Gambling
And what could you do about it? Call the police? Hardly.
Making gambling illegal makes the activity so much more dangerous. Gambling today in states where it’s legal is absolutely safe, fun, and of a high quality. The legality of it protects everyone and keeps the criminals occupied somewhere else.
Conclusion
Legalize Gambling In Texas 2019
I’ll admit that there could be a number of other reasons why gambling should be legal, but I think these are 2 of the best.
Why Won't Texas Legalize Gambling
Overall, it’s time for lawmakers to dive into the reality that prohibiting gambling can do more bad than good.