According to Mark Cuban, one of the most prominent Shark Tank personalities and a billionaire, the arrival of integrated casino resorts in Texas would have a significant impact on the state’s tourism profile and significantly boost the state’s economic profile.
Making Texas a Tourism-Worthy Destination
Many companies have already shown interest in bringing their operations to bear in the state, including Las Vegas Sands, which has been lobbying to convince legislators of the validity of why bringing a casino resort would make a lot of sense.
Cuban, though, sees in the arrival of potential casino resorts the opportunity to transform the leisure travel and hospitality industries in the state, and give them a significant boost. Cuban spoke to The Dallas Morning News, a prominent media outlet, and spoke about what he saw as a major problem.
He argued that many people in Texas now had to save up for a trip to go to another state and try the experiences that a casino resort could bring right in their backyard. He acknowledged that fears about potential societal ills stemming from gambling were not to be overlooked and called it “a hook.”
However, he remains confident that there is actual value in turning Texas into one of those destination states where people from all over the country would be willing to save up for to visit and enjoy many of its facilities.
Legislative Efforts Coming Short of Supermajority
To get there, though, the state would need the right legislative framework in place. Efforts to push a form of commercial casino gambling and see Texas join one of the dozens of states in the United States that offer this service seem to be dead this legislative session with a bill backed by Rep. Charlie Geren falling through and dashing those hopes.
Geren’s House Joint Resolution managed to secure 92 votes in support of moving forward with the matter, but it fell short of the required 100-vote threshold to make it happen. Cuban has expressed his disappointment and said that the state needs to do more so that Texas can truly become a tourism beacon and attract more visitors.
Joint Resolution 155 did demonstrate changing attitudes towards commercial gambling in the state in general, proving that there is significant interest in the addition of casino resort gambling. The rub is that in order to pass any such changes, the state would need to still alter its constitution which requires a super majority and hence why Joint Resolution 155 missed the mark.