Texas Scorecard by Erin Anderson January 16, 2023
Casino gambling interests poured big money into campaign coffers of Texas politicians, including House Speaker Dade Phelan.Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan says he’s ready to let “high-quality” casinos operate in the state, after he and other elected officials received high-dollar campaign contributions from major gambling interests.
“I want to see destination-style casinos that are high quality and that create jobs and that improve the lifestyle of those communities,” Phelan told reporters on Thursday.
According to Transparency USA, the pro-gambling Texas Sands PAC doled out $2 million to Texas candidates during the 2022 election cycle, including $300,000 to Phelan, $225,000 to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, $200,000 to Gov. Greg Abbott, and $50,000 to Comptroller Glenn Hegar, all Republicans.
Dr. Miriam Adelson, majority shareholder in the multibillion-dollar Las Vegas Sands resort casino empire, set up the Texas Sands PAC in 2022 to help get casino gambling across the finish line this session. Sands lobbied Texas lawmakers hard during the 2021 session but failed to see gambling legislation advance.
The PAC also gave campaign cash to almost three-fourths of Texas legislators, in amounts ranging from $3,000 to $60,000.
The Chickasaw Nation, which owns WinStar World Casino in Oklahoma, gave Texas politicians $744,000 in campaign cash in the 2022 election cycle—more than double their 2020 spending. Abbott topped the list with $300,000, while Patrick got $95,000 and Phelan $40,000. Dozens of other candidates received contributions from Chickasaw ranging from $1,500 to $15,000.
More:
https://texasscorecard.com/state/flush-with-gambling-lobby-cash-phelan-primed-to-ok-texas-casinos/
