Legislation supporting online sports gaming also receives strong support from 47% of Texans, with Texans deadlocked at 41% for and 42% against allowing sportsbooks to operate inside professional sports venues.

(Dallas, Texas, April 30, 2024) – New polling from the Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation (TxHPF) shows that Texans from all political and demographic segments are strongly in favor of legislation that authorizes the construction and operation of Texas-based destination resort casinos.

Approximately three-fifths of Democrats, Republicans and Independents support Destination Resort Casinos, while less than one-third oppose the construction and operation of these casinos in Texas. Twice as many men support than oppose destination resort casino gaming by a 61% to 27% margin, with support among women lower, but still a majority at 54%.  African Americans register 68% support for casino gaming, while Hispanics and Anglos register 58% and 54%, support respectively. Most surprising, however, was that a majority (52%) of Texans who self-identify as “Born-Again” Christians support destination resort casinos.

Legislation that would authorize online sports gaming and sports gaming occurring inside of Texas-based professional sports arenas and stadiums maintains significant support among Texans, with 47% supporting online sports gaming and 41% supporting (and 42% opposing) sportsbooks inside of Texas professional sports venues.  But men, particularly African American and Hispanic men, overwhelmingly support online sports gaming and the establishment of sportsbooks inside professional sports teams’ stadiums and arenas.

The survey, which was conducted between April 5 and April 10 among a representative sample of 1,600 Texas likely voters, has an overall margin of error of 2.45%.

“Since the reauthorization of parimutuel betting in Texas in 1991, various members of the Texas Legislature have endeavored to expand Texas-based gaming in some form or other, with the most recent initiatives being in the sports gaming and destination resort casino gaming sectors,” noted Jason Villalba, Chairman and CEO of the TXHPF.  “Given the results of this survey, it is clear that the public appetite for additional gaming opportunities now matches the political appetite, not only with traditional supporters of gaming, but also with church-going Texans and women – that is a major change from what we have seen in recent legislative cycles,” continued Villalba.

Mark P. Jones, the TxHPF’s Chief Information and Analytics Officer and the Fellow in Political Science at Rice University’s Baker Institute noted that “there is a strong majority consensus among Texans across 21 socio-demographic sub-groups in favor of the casino legislation.  Regardless of gender, ethnicity/race, age, education, level of partisanship or even religion, an absolute majority of every sub-group of Texans supports the construction and operation of Destination Resort Casinos in Texas.”

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About the Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation

The Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation operates as a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, dedicated and committed to analyzing and exploring the political, economic, social, demographic, and familial attitudes and behaviors of Texas Hispanics. The Foundation conducts surveys, polls, research, data collection and analysis concerning the Hispanic population in Texas. You can find more information about the Foundation at www.TxHPF.org.

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