Texas casino bill would allow for resort to be placed in San Antonio

A new Texas House of Representatives joint resolution was heard on Wednesday, March 22, that would allow for multiple casino resorts to be built in major cities, including one in San Antonio. House Joint Resolution 155, authored by Fort Worth Republican Rep. Charlie Geren, would allow for “one destination resort” in the San Antonio-New Braunfels area, according to the bill heard by the House’s State Affairs Committee.

Under HJR 155, one of many gambling bills being considered during the ongoing legislative session, the state would provide casino licenses using existing horse and dog racing licenses. This includes Retama Park in San Antonio. The bill would also allow for casino resorts in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Houston, McAllen, and Corpus Christi. 

As to who would build such a resort is unknown, but Las Vegas Sands, which was created out of the old Sands hotel in Las Vegas, has been pushing for this legislation through its political arm, Texas Sands PAC, reported the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Sands used to operate casino resorts in Las Vegas, including the Venetian, Palazzo, and The Venetian Expo. It sold those facilities in 2021 for $6.4 billion.

A representative with Sands, J.T. Foley, told members of the State Affairs Committee on Wednesday that he couldn’t tell them how much a casino would be worth in Texas because the company was in active negotiations for a license, the Star-Telegram reported.

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