Texas Election 2026: Patrick-Goodwin Race Could Decide Whether Texans Get a Vote on Casinos and Sports Betting

The Texas election on 3 November 2026 for governor, lieutenant governor and a new Legislature could change how the Senate handles proposals to give Texans a vote on casino gambling and sports betting, an idea Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has kept off the Senate floor for two sessions. His Democratic challenger, state Rep. Vikki Goodwin, says the question should go to the public. Any change still depends on lawmakers: a constitutional amendment needs two-thirds of both chambers before it reaches the ballot.

Texas is the most populous US state after California without legal sports betting, and it allows no commercial casinos. The 90th Legislature convenes in January 2027.

Why the Legislature, not the governor, holds the key

Gambling is largely barred by the Texas Constitution, so expansion requires an amendment. Article 17 of the constitution requires a vote of two-thirds of all members elected to each house before an amendment goes to voters.

The lieutenant governor presides over the Senate, appoints its committees and refers bills, which gives the office practical control over whether a resolution gets a hearing or a vote. Republicans hold majorities in both chambers, so any amendment would need substantial Republican support whoever wins the statewide races.

The candidates and their positions

The November matchups were set after the March primaries and May runoffs. Only the lieutenant governor race offers a clear contrast on a public vote.

Goodwin, who has represented southwest Austin in the House since 2019, made her case in a September 2025 interview with FOX 7 Austin. "Why don't we allow them to vote to have a say?" she asked, adding that she preferred a broad approach to casinos over a short list of cities. KUT reported on 22 October that polls show a close race, while Patrick has out-raised Goodwin by about 10 to one; the Texas Tribune put his cash on hand at $35.3 million at the end of June, against $317,571 for Goodwin.

Patrick has long said a gambling proposal needs majority backing within the Senate Republican caucus before it moves. In late 2023 he told CBS News Texas the chamber was not "even close to having 15 votes or 16 votes for casinos."

Abbott once sounded open to online betting. "I don't have a problem with online sports betting," he told the Houston Chronicle, as cited by the Texas Newsroom in March 2025. By December 2025 he told CBS News Texas he was "simply not there yet" on casinos, citing addiction and integrity problems in sports. Covers reports that Hinojosa voted against the 2023 sports betting amendment as a House member; Gamingo could not independently confirm her individual vote.

How earlier attempts ended

The closest Texas has come was in 2023, when the House passed the HJR 102 sports betting amendment by 101-42, one vote above the threshold, according to the House roll call recorded on LegiScan. A companion casino resolution, HJR 155, stalled at 92 votes in the House.

The Texas Tribune reported that neither casino nor sports betting legislation gained traction in the 2025 House, despite Las Vegas Sands spending millions on lobbyists.

The money behind the casino push

Las Vegas Sands, which wants to build a destination resort in the Dallas area and has campaigned for legal casino gambling in Texas since 2022, funds two political action committees, Texas Sands PAC and Texas Defense PAC. According to the Texas Tribune's reading of campaign finance filings, the PACs spent about $7.2 million on more than 90 legislative campaigns in 2024, and each received about $9.1 million in 2025, from Miriam Adelson and Las Vegas Sands respectively. That continues the escalation Gamingo covered when Adelson put $13.7 million into the Texas casino push in 2024.

Results have been mixed. In a November 2025 special election for Senate District 9 in Tarrant County, Republican John Huffman, who supported a public vote and was backed by about $3.5 million in Adelson and Sands money, finished third. Democrat Taylor Rehmet then won the 31 January 2026 runoff with 57%. In the March 2026 Republican primaries, gambling opponents David Lowe, Terri Leo-Wilson, Mark Dorazio and Andy Hopper all beat Sands-backed challengers. Sands said its mission remains to "trust Texas voters," the Tribune reported.

Prediction markets add a new front

The Senate has also turned to event contracts. On 27 March 2026 Patrick told the State Affairs Committee to study the "sudden inundation of prediction market gambling," and the committee heard from the American Gaming Association, Kalshi and a problem gambling expert in September. Other states have moved faster, with Ohio warning gaming licensees to cut ties with prediction markets and Utah filing criminal charges against Kalshi.

What to watch on 3 November

If Patrick keeps his seat, the Senate's approach would likely stay the same. A Goodwin win would replace the Senate's main gatekeeper, but supporters would still need to assemble two-thirds coalitions in both chambers. Nebraska voters face their own online sports betting measures on the same day, a route Texas can only take once the Legislature puts a question on the ballot.

Status reviewed on 30 October 2026. Candidate positions, vote counts and campaign spending are from the Texas Constitution, House roll call records, the Texas Tribune and broadcast interviews; Hinojosa's 2023 vote is as reported by Covers. More legislation news and North America coverage.