Casinos could be a big thing in Texas if gambling magnate has his way – dailytimes.com

Everything is bigger in Texas, except for casinos, but that might change if billionaire gambling magnate Sheldon Adelson has his way.

The owner of the Las Vegas Sands is betting that Texas could be one of the biggest markets in the world for gambling if casinos are allowed to open in the Lone Star state, according to reports in The Texas Tribune and Houston Chronicle.

During the annual meeting of the Texas Taxpayers and Research Association, Andy Abboud, who represents Sands, spoke about how the casinos could be key economic drivers, but also limited to large cities and tourism destinations. Abboud was not proposing replicating Las Vegas in the state.

We should be very clear, Abboud said, according to The Texas Tribune. We will never pretend to say that we will solve all the economic problems of a state. We will help diversify an economy because of the wide range of taxes that we pay.

Texas has some of the strictest gambling laws in the nation, and gaming is limited to a few Native American casinos, the lottery, horse racing and bingo. How the state legislature and voters would react is uncertain, but Adelson donated more than $4 million to Republican candidates to keep the legislature with a GOP majority.

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Casinos could be a big thing in Texas if gambling magnate has his way - dailytimes.com