Friday, December 22, 2006

Why am I not surprised that on Wednesday, the Austin American-Statesman,
Dallas Morning News and Fort Worth Star-Telegram all reported that a
proposal to broadly expand gambling in Texas is in the works in Austin? Hey,
gambling-expansion proposals have emerged every two years in Texas since the
early 1990s, just before each Legislature convened. What is different about
this proposal? This plan would authorize casinos on the state's three Indian
reservations - presumably, Class 3 casinos where players play against the
house and not each other - and it would put video lottery terminals in the
state's ailing horse and dog tracks.
The plan would also authorize 12 "resort-style casinos," two each in Houston
and Dallas, one each in Bexar, Tarrant and Travis Counties, one in Galveston
and another in South Padre Island. Three more would be in places chosen by
the Texas Gaming Commission, the über-gaming agency created under the
proposal.
Unlike earlier proposals, this plan teams up Indian reservations, horse- and
dog-track interests and full-blown casino developers, interests that have
been competitors in the past - always unsuccessful ones. According to
proponents, the whole package will generate $1.6 billion annually for the
state, money they envision spending on college tuitions, which have been
skyrocketing since they were deregulated, and children's health insurance in
a state that leads the nation in uninsured kids. Anyone familiar with the
Texas budget will tell you that $1.6 billion per year is not chump change.
And arguments already being advanced by gambling proponents are familiar
ones that aren't really in dispute. Texas provides Nevada more gamblers than
any other state except California, its neighbor, and there are more direct
flights from Texas to Las Vegas than to any other destination. The Lone Star
State is also surrounded by states with legal gambling. Go to any of these
state-line gaming emporiums and you are likely to find Texas plates on well
more than half the cars in the parking lots. Nor is it difficult to find
places to risk money in Texas. Eight-liner emporiums are everywhere and
pro-sports betting is ubiquitous in virtually every larger workplace and
many watering holes. And yes, there's no shortage of gaming still available
online. But what are the chances of this proposal moving forward? In a
phrase, it won't be a slam-dunk. Winning two-thirds margins in both House
and Senate to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot won't be easy for
lawmakers who plan to return to the local church to talk about their service
to the community. Then, winning voter approval won't be simple or easy.
Pari-mutuel betting finally made it on its eighth try on the ballot.
And however overstated, there will be the talk about the criminal element
casinos bring. And far more reality based, there are also very real
connections that will be made between widely accessible gaming and
obsessive-compulsive disorders and low-grade property crimes. Hardest to get
around, however, will be that none of Texas' previous gambling expansions -
bingo, pari-mutuel race tracks and the Texas Lottery - have delivered the
revenue promised.