After a string of legislative defeats in 2025, a test of the political power of those pushing to legalize gambling in Texas fell flat again in last week’s elections.
Republican John Huffman, the former mayor of Southlake, finished in third place behind Democrat Taylor Rehmet and Republican Leigh Wambganss, missing the runoff for the Senate District 9 special election. Huffman received 16% of the vote, according to unofficial results, despite being the race’s best-funded candidate thanks to about $3.5 million in donations and in-kind political spending on Huffman’s behalf by casino tycoon Miriam Adelson and her casino empire, Las Vegas Sands.
Huffman’s defeat in the Tarrant County district comes after sports gambling legislation that had managed to receive narrow approval from the Texas House in 2023 failed to advance out of committee earlier this year.
The Texas Lottery Commission was also abolished this year after multiple issues with the lottery came to light, and some conservative lawmakers are pointing to recent indictments surrounding an NBA gambling scheme as an example of the moral decay caused by gambling.
Meanwhile, the Texas Senate, led by vocal gambling opponent Lt. Gov. Patrick, remains a seemingly insurmountable obstacle for supporters of legalized gambling.
Despite the political headwinds in Texas, Adelson’s Las Vegas Sands has put enough money into its political action committees to keep gambling on the state.
Texas Sands PAC, a political action committee formed in 2022, had more than $8 million in cash on hand at the end of October, thanks to a $9.1 million donation by Adelson in June. The PAC has spent about $7.5 million in the state since its inception, according to Texas campaign finance reports.
Adelson has poured millions more into legislative contests through the Texas Defense PAC, which formed in May 2024 with another $9 million from the casino magnate.
In the 2024 election year alone, those two casino-aligned PACs spent about $7.2 million supporting more than 90 separate legislative campaigns, a sweeping effort to fund the campaigns of those who support its interests. The Texas Defense PAC’s war chest was replenished earlier this year with a $9.1 million contribution from the Las Vegas Sands Corporation, teeing up another offensive in support of pro-gambling candidates in 2026.
A spokesperson for Las Vegas Sands declined to comment.
Despite the big pro-Huffman spending from casino interests, he didn’t make legalizing gambling a centerpiece of his campaign and the issue wasn’t a major part of the District 9 race.
While he is publicly supportive of allowing the public to vote on a constitutional amendment legalizing gambling, Huffman’s campaign centered around his experience as mayor, lowering the cost of living, addressing rising property taxes and increasing public safety. Along with support from Adelson, Huffman was endorsed by more moderate figures in the GOP.
Huffman’s casino money paid for ads that mostly focused on the candidate as a property tax cutter and accusing Wambsganss of being disloyal toGov. Greg Abbott.
A spokesperson for Huffman did not respond to requests for comment.
Wambganss voiced many of the same conservative views as Huffman, though she broke from him in opposing casino legalization, aligning her with Patrick and helping draw his endorsement. Her most direct attack against casino interests came in late October, when her campaign called the Adelson contributions to Huffman an “affront to the very concept of democracy.”
Wambsganss’ endorsements from Patrick and President Donald Trump likely propelled her to success in a low-turnout special election rather than any one particular issue, said Brent Boyea, a professor of political science at the University of Texas at Arlington.
Legalizing gambling in Texas would require the voters to weigh in on the issue directly. Available public polling in the state shows strong public support for legalizing both casinos and sports gambling, though Republican voters have expressed mixed views.
Business interests in the state also support legalization.
“The policy is very strong and the public support is very strong,” said Glenn Hamer, president and CEO of the Texas Association of Business. “We’re going to continue to work on getting a good measure passed that voters will have the opportunity to make a decision on.”
Hamer’s organization supported the gambling legislation in both 2023 and this year. Despite the seeming lack of progress, legalization supporters believe it’s not the cards you hold but how you play them.
“This is an important topic, and it’s not going anywhere,” Hamer said. “We’re going to keep plugging away.”
Disclosure: Las Vegas Sands Corporation, Las Vegas Sands Corporation, Texas Association of Business and University of Texas - Arlington have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
This article first appeared on The Texas Tribune.
