Let's talk about that: Casino gambling in Rowlett
The following question was posed in a Facebook group, and here's my answer:
First, it's not expected to be on the ballot by those who follow the legislature. Casino gambling has less momentum in the House this session than it did in the 88th. While there is some support in the House, this bill is not a high priority, and at least 10-12 anti-gambling Republicans won seats in the House last November against former pro-gambling representatives. Three of the House members who supported it last session now say they're against it.1
And even if the bill passed the House, Dan Patrick has successfully killed any attempts to pass a pro-gaming bill in the Senate and very likely would do so again. So let's realize right up front that we're talking about a hypothetical situation that isn't going to happen, at least not anytime soon.
But I'll play the game (see what I did there?). Casino gambling is legal in some form in 44 of our 50 states. Some have tribal casinos only and others have commercial casinos. There are somewhere around 2000 casinos in the U.S. and 34% of adults in the country visited casinos in 2022.2 A recent University of Texas poll showed that 73% of Texans are in favor of destination resort casinos in the state.3
I believe in letting the people decide controversial issues like this, so am I in favor of putting it on the ballot? Of course. There are many issues that legislators have to decide for us, as our representatives. But the big issues, the ones that require changing our Constitution, rightly have to be put to a vote of the populace. I fully support that process.
Should the constitutional amendment pass in an election (and it very probably would), would I as an elected official support bringing a casino to Rowlett? That depends. I base my votes on the totality of the information before me, and I have no real information regarding how the state would regulate those casinos, how the tax revenue would be allocated or spent. Casino revenue can help fund many government programs. It can enable reduction of taxes on individuals and other businesses.
Is there a potential for negative repercussions such as addiction and crime? Absolutely. But just as prohibition didn't work against alcoholism, gamblers will find a way to gamble: in illegal backroom poker games or by going out of state to give that tax money to someone else.
As for crime, I believe if casino gambling is ever legalized in Texas, the enabling acts should include a requirement that a substantial portion of the revenues should be earmarked to fund law enforcement programs to prevent organized crime from playing a part, and to ensure that surrounding communities have adequate police protection so that there won't be a negative impact on neighborhoods and communities.
Is legalizing gambling a priority for me? Absolutely not. On a personal level, I think slot machines are boring and I'm too frugal/cheap to play high stakes card games. Back when I used to go to Las Vegas, I went for the food and shows and spent close to zero time in the casinos. Back when I used to go on cruises, for me the casino was just the loud, smoky place I had to walk through to get from one end of the ship to the other.
On an official level, in my opinion the only place in Rowlett that might be appropriate to consider for such a facility would be Sapphire Bay. It was mentioned to me by previous city administration and the former mayor as a long-term possibility when I first got onto the council.
With no actual legislation at this time, we don't even know whether the city would have any authority over whether and where casinos would go in. The state has been taking more and more powers away from municipalities, particularly in the areas of zoning and land use. There is a good chance the state would have exclusive control over those decisions.
If a proposal to build a casino did come before me as a member of the council and if we did have the ability to say yes or no, I would approach that vote in the same way I do with any zoning request or special use permit. I would research the development company and its past projects, do deeper research on the impact of casinos in cities with geographies, demographics, and other characteristics similar to ours, request traffic impact, projected costs and revenues, projected crime data, and would visit the site and solicit input from those who live nearby and from the general population of our city before making my decision.
1 Group of Texas House Republicans aims to quash gambling push | The Texas Tribune
2 What States Have Casinos? Numbers and Statistics
3 New Poll Shows Strong Support For Legalizing Gambling In Texas