The Texas Senate District 9 special election could affect prospects for casino legislation in 2026. Candidate John Huffman supports legalisation and a statewide vote, while Leigh Wambsganss opposes expanding gambling; the winner will serve the remainder of the term.
The candidates’ differing positions could shape support for proposed casino legislation in Texas.
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Democrat Vikki Goodwin defeated Lt Gov Dan Patrick in Texas’s election on Tuesday, potentially changing which bills reach the Senate floor. Goodwin has said Texans should decide on gambling expansion, but any change requires a constitutional amendment backed by two-thirds of both chambers before a public vote; her election does not legalise gambling.
Vikki Goodwin, a Democrat, defeated Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Tuesday. Gambling bills in Texas may get a route to the Senate floor for the first time in a decade. The win alone does not legalize anything. Any expansion of gambling in Texas needs a constitutional amendment, with two-thirds support in both chambers before voters see it.
Texas lieutenant governor-elect Vikki Goodwin said she would support legislation allowing casino resorts if voters in the state wanted them. Her comments come after she defeated incumbent Dan Patrick in the election; the article also reports that Texas governor-elect Gina Hinojosa has not stated a similarly explicit position on casinos.
Goodwin said that she would embrace legislation allowing casino resorts in Texas. Goodwin defeated Patrick on Election Day, becoming the first Democratic lieutenant governor of Texas in nearly three decades.
Texas sports betting and casino legislation could be affected by the lieutenant governor election on 3 November, according to the report. Dan Patrick has said gambling expansion needs majority support from Senate Republicans; in 2023, he declined to advance a sports betting amendment passed by the House. Vikki Goodwin supports letting voters decide on casinos and online sports betting.
According to the report, the future of Texas sports betting and casino legislation could hinge on the lieutenant governor race held on November 3. Dan Patrick, the Republican lieutenant governor, is the favorite on prediction markets to win another term against Democratic state Rep. Vikki Goodwin. As of Monday, Kalshi placed Patrick's chance at 75% and Polymarket at 77%, although trading volume in that market was small.
US Senator Ted Cruz is preparing legislation that would give state and tribal governments authority over sports-related contracts offered by prediction markets, citing Bloomberg Law. Cruz intends to file the bill after the 3 November midterm elections. The measure would bar operators from offering contracts linked to gambling activities, including sports betting, without approval from the relevant state or tribal government.
A bill granting state and tribal governments say over sports contracts sold by prediction markets is being drafted by US Senator Ted Cruz, Bloomberg Law reported. He plans to introduce it once the November 3 midterm elections are over. As of now, the text is absent from Congress' website.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that most US adults oppose betting on election outcomes and government decisions, amid debate over prediction-market regulation. The survey found 69% of Democrats and 61% of Republicans opposed election betting; 65% opposed bets on military operations and 63% opposed bets on public-policy decisions.
Most US adults oppose using prediction markets to bet on election results and government decisions, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on 12 October. The survey was conducted between 30 September and 5 October and polled 4,506 US adults. It found 69% of Democrats and 61% of Republicans opposed to betting on election outcomes.