Gov. Greg Abbott signaled his strongest support yet for letting Texans decide on legalizing sports betting. It comes as a new poll shows Texans overwhelmingly favor legalizing it.
“I don’t have a problem with online sports betting,” Gov. Abbott told the Houston Chronicle. “The reality is that I’d be shocked if there were not some Texans that do it already.”
In fact, according to data from GeoComply, a geolocation fraud detection technology, approximately 1.48 million Texans attempted to log into a legal sportsbook in November. That’s an uptick from 1.15 million attempts in October. When turned away, many Texans turn to illegal offshore sites where they have no guarantee that their information is safe or that they will see the payout of their bets.
“We appreciate the governor’s comments because this echoes what we’re hearing from Texans,” said Jeremy Kudon, president of the Sports Betting Alliance. “They want the opportunity to vote on legalizing sports betting and putting in place a strong, regulatory framework that protects consumers and boosts revenue in the state.”
Efforts to legalize sports betting are supported by every major professional sports team in the state. Giles Kibbe, executive vice president and general counsel of the Houston Astros, said he’s glad to hear the governor’s views regarding sports betting.
“Illegal sports betting through foreign companies is pervasive. The state should be regulating this and allowing Texans to bet legally. That is what the voters of Texas want,” Kibbe said.
The governor’s comments Tuesday come as a new study from the University of Houston’s Hobby School of Public Affairs shows 60 percent of Texans support legalizing online sports betting, including 64 percent of Democrats and 59 percent of Republicans.
About the Sports Betting Alliance:
Sports Betting Alliance (SBA) members offer safe and legal online and retail sports betting to customers with critical safeguards in place to keep minors from betting. Our member companies only operate in the 38 states and additional jurisdictions where sports betting is legal, and our platforms actively work to ensure our products provide safe entertainment only for responsible adults.