Monday, March 12, 2007

Texans would get to decide whether to allow casino resorts in cities such as
Galveston and slot machines at dog tracks like the one in La Marque under
legislation proposed Thursday by two Texas senators. But if history is a
teacher, you can bet on a battle royale, even among some gambling
proponents. The issue for many comes down to money and morality. Old island
families, Houston hospitality moguls, West End landowners and influential
mainland business leaders all have a stake and a say in the legislation.
State Sens. John Carona, R-Dallas, and Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, are
proposing Senate Joint Resolution 45 and Senate Bill 1359, which they say
would generate about $4 billion a year in revenues for the state and would
earmark $1 billion for higher education financial aid programs. The
resolution calls for a constitutional amendment that would allow - if voters
approved it - limited casino gambling in Texas, including on resort islands
and video lottery games at horse and greyhound racetracks around the state.
The constitutional amendment would need approval of two-thirds of the
Legislature before it went before voters in November. Counties in which
casino operators seek permits also could reject gambling, the lawmakers say.
"If voters of Texas don't want it, turn it down," Ellis said. "And even if
voters legalize it statewide, if the county doesn't want it, turn it down.
It's hard for me to see what the big political uproar is about." SB 1359
provides the detailed legal framework to regulate gambling in a state where
social conservatives time and again have rejected casinos and slot machines.