Texas lawmaker proposes amendment for 10 casinos and sports betting

Texas Representative Charlie Green has introduced a constitutional amendment that would let the Legislature set up a regulated casino and sports betting market, but only after voter approval. For operators, the interesting part is not the headline number of licenses; it is the familiar Texas bottleneck: two-thirds support in both chambers before the question even reaches the ballot.

1. Green’s proposal would allow up to 10 casinos in Texas, with licences valid for 40 years. Gambling would be limited to these physical venues, and the framework would include taxation of up to 15 per cent, plus licensing fees and other gambling-related levies.
2. The amendment also includes sports wagering, but it does not clearly say whether betting would be limited to casino premises. What it does not include is just as important for PSPs and operators: there is no provision for igaming or online sports betting.
3. The plan contemplates negotiations with Texas tribal governments to establish gambling compacts. In practice, that would create a separate path for casinos on tribal land, following arrangements used in other US states.
4. Before any of this reaches voters, Green needs support from at least two-thirds of the members of both the Texas House of Representatives and the Senate. The proposal would then need to win more than 50 per cent of the popular vote. Previous attempts to expand gambling in Texas have failed at the legislative hurdle.
5. The broader Texas debate is already touching adjacent products: in September, the state Senate Committee on State Affairs heard testimony on whether Texas can restrict prediction market platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket, which offer sports event contracts despite the state’s prohibition on sports betting.

For high-risk payments companies, the practical takeaway is straightforward: Texas is still a policy process, not a live market. Until the constitutional amendment clears the Legislature and then the voters, there is no regulated opening to underwrite for casinos, sports betting, or the adjacent flows that come with them.