Texas Hold 'Em

The AP reports that a bill has been filed to legalize casinos in Texas.

AUSTIN — Big resorts with full casinos, shops and restaurants could be built in up to a dozen Texas cities under legislation proposed today by two high-profile senators and backed by major gambling interests.

Voters ultimately would have the say on the proposed constitutional amendment legalizing casino gambling.

A main selling point of the plan, the legislators contend, is a provision that would dedicate $1 billion per year to a fund to pay for eligible Texans to attend a community college or public university.

Sen. John Carona, a Dallas Republican, and Sen. Rodney Ellis, a Houston Democrat [my district - Phlip], sponsors of the legislation, both said they aren't gamblers themselves. But they said casinos in Texas would slow the flow of gambling money leaving the state. They also said "destination resort casinos" will attract tourism money for related activities, like high-end entertainment.

"Texans are already voting with their feet and going out of state," Ellis said. "It's time for Texas to reap the economic benefits and use that revenue to help Texas students go to college."

. . . . .

Proponents say Texans already spend about $10 billion per year gambling, some of it in other states and some of it illegally in Texas through eight-liners and on the Internet.

The proposed constitutional amendment, if approved by Texas voters, would allow for 12 casino gambling sites — seven in urban areas, two along the Gulf coast and three on Indian reservations. It also would legalize video slot machines at horse and dog race tracks.

Naturally the God Squad is dead set aginst this.

Opponents predict the casino legislation will go the same place similar bills have gone before — nowhere.

"They just warm this baby up and roll it out every session," said Suzii Paynter, director of the Baptist lobby's Christian Life Commission. "Why would we go for such a bad deal?"

Paynter said the state would get a far lower return on casino gambling than it does on the state lottery and that, despite talk of tourism, casinos depend heavily on addicted gamblers and a large percentage of gamblers who come from within a 50-mile radius.

There's a stronger public relations effort associated with this gambling proposal and a new promise of college scholarships, said Paynter, but she expects there will be the same firm opposition in the Legislature seen in recent sessions.

"Texas doesn't need this. We have great economic development in our state, and we bring businesses to our state that are built on a family friendly business model," she said.

It probably doesn't stand a chance, but I'd love to see a casino here in H-Town. I'm not much of a gambler, but I got my BS in Biology while dealing cards and spinning the roulette wheel on boats in South Florida. That is, until the cigarette smoke gave me asthma and forced me to quit and live off student loans. But we have a smoking ban going into effect this year, so I'd pick up a couple of shifts a week and hope to get that debt paid off.