Casino News

New proposals for Texas casinos revealed

2006-11-15 15:05:45

Residents of Texas and the Gulf Coast islands could be in for a gambling windfall if plans for a series of casinos in the area get the go-ahead.

A proposal filed on Tuesday outlines plans for as many as 12 large casinos to be built in the area, with state legislature due to consider the matter upon re-opening in January.

The ambitious bill, which backers claim would generate almost $2 billion per year for the state via taxes and boosts to the economy, would replace the Texas Lottery Commission and Texas Racing Commission with the Texas Gaming Commission.

The new body would then be able to oversee all gambling in the state, as well as provide licenses to prospective casino developers.

A similar bill was tabled in 2005, but did not make it past the legislative committee. Legislators are again thought to be the main stumbling blocks to the new bill, with research showing that voters would be likely to approve it should the idea be put to them as a constitutional amendment next November.

However, with thousands of bills set to be filed before the start of the new session on January 9th, gambling advocates fear that the bill may once again get lost in the mix.


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