Texas lawmakers on Monday filed a pair of bills and joint resolutions that would allow for statewide mobile wagering with professional sports franchises as the license holders. Identical bills were filed in the House and Senate, along with joint resolutions that would put the measures, if passed, before voters in November.
The bills would allow for mobile wagering only, and approved professional sports franchises would be entitled to one digital skin, or platform, each. Texas has 12 Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, NBA, NFL, NHL, National Women’s Soccer League, and WNBA franchises, at least four PGA Tour stops, and at least two NASCAR tracks.
The bills have the backing of the Texas Sports Betting Alliance, a consortium of every major professional sports team in the state plus Barstool Sportsbook, BetMGM, DraftKings, Fanatics, and FanDuel. The PGA Tour and Texas Motor Speedway are also listed as backers of the Alliance.
Neither bill has been assigned to committee, and they follow a bill dropped Friday that would put wagering in the hands of horse racetracks.