Las Vegas Sands may have to wait a little longer to spread their gaming empire on the land of Texas, as the massive undertaking didn’t make it far at the Capitol as the legislation failed to make it to the floor of either chamber.
The most talked-about part of Sands’ proposal was the introduction of destination resorts with casino gambling in the state’s four biggest metropolitan areas.
The Las Vegas Sands, commenced by the Late Republican Sheldon Adelson – had reportedly spent a fortune on hiring a large group of lobbyists and on tv advertisements, following the election time in which Adelson’s generosity held a significant role in assisting the state’s Republicans to continue to be in prominence.
What went Wrong
The failure of Sands-supported legislation was majorly due to relatively late filing, giving lawmakers lesser time to understand its momentous impact on the Texas economy, as the session was already plagued by the pandemic, the weather issues, and Republican leaders’ other state priorities.
Along with all this, there was also Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, who opposed the expansion of gambling in the state.
Las Vegas Stands insisted that it was committed to Texas for the long term, even though when the proposal saw the floors, they came out and clarified that casinos alone are not a panacea for fiscal struggles in Texas.
Despite this, several proponents of the idea said they were handicapped when the state’s budget predictions came in better than predicted, reducing interest in additional revenue streams.
The company’s strategy was heavily criticized by the new speaker Phelan, who warned Sands against relying on the argument that casinos would boost state revenue – advised that the company was already taking to heart in its public comments about Texas.
Representative Chris Paddie, the chair of the committee, believes that a lot of education is needed on the issue.
