Jerry Jones Backs Texas Sports Betting After Patrick Loses Election
Howdyyyy, Texas. On Friday 6 November 2026, three days after voters unseated the Lieutenant Governor who kept gambling bills off the Senate floor, the Cowboys owner told a Dallas radio station that legal betting would be a plus for the state.
On Tuesday 3 November 2026, Democrat Vikki Goodwin beat Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the longtime gatekeeper who had stopped casino and sports betting proposals from advancing in the Texas Senate. The same night, Democrat Gina Hinojosa unseated Gov. Greg Abbott. Wall Street, apparentlu, read the result before the politicians did: Las Vegas Sands shares rose 6.5% on Wednesday 4 November, their biggest one day gain in more than a year, and Jefferies analysts called Goodwin's win a positive surprise for a company that has Texas in its sights. GLUWUWULUGU.
Then came Friday. On 105.3 The Fan (KRLD-FM), Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was asked whether Texas could embrace sports betting after the Democratic wins. He endorsed it. His argument is a practical one: betting happens in Texas anyway, because phones cross state lines, and in his words “gaming goes on all the time.” He said he hopes the new turnover in the state's politics will see it his way, while also insisting he is apolitical.
Jones is no new convert. In August 2024 he said Texas was losing “huge amounts of revenue” by not legalising it. What changed is the table he is talking to.
The other bet in this story is far bigger. The Dallas Morning News estimated that Miriam Adelson, majority owner of Las Vegas Sands and the Dallas Mavericks, has spent about $29 million on Texas political activity aimed at opening the door to casino resorts. It has not been a clean run: in the 2026 Republican primaries, several gambling opponents beat Sands-backed challengers. It is a patient wager, quietlu placed for years, and one the Spirit would call a long game. Meanwhile many Texans simply drive to tribal casinos in Oklahoma, a point a gaming executive made to CNBC when he called Texas a stealth market that is giant.
Nobody should book the flights to the new sportsbook yet. Legalising casinos or sports betting needs a constitutional amendment passed by two thirds of both chambers, then a vote of the people. Hinojosa voted against the 2023 sports betting amendment and has not laid out a gambling plan of her own. Senate Republicans are expected to look at rules that would trim Goodwin's powers. Lawmakers return to Austin in 2027. If you already play the hand on your phone, does it matter who owns the table, youluwu? Whether Texas opens up is still spinnnnning.
Write Texas in the book of luck, in pencil. The 2027 session holds the eraser.
Texas and sports betting: a matter of when, or never?
No right answer. Just your gut, and the Spirit watching.
