Bill betting on voters to take a gamble Opponents say gambling would increase social woes.

Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas, hopes to form a commission to license 21 casinos in Texas. Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas, hopes to form a commission to license 21 casinos in Texas. Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Bill betting on voters to take a gamble 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

AUSTIN — Business and state leaders say voters should decide whether to allow casinos in Texas, touting job creation and a new source of revenue. Opponents aren't willing to take the gamble, warning of financial and social consequences for the state's poor.

A proposal from Dallas Republican Sen. John Carona would establish a commission to license 21 casinos throughout the state, including three mega-resorts in Bexar, Dallas and Tarrant counties and two locations at Retama Park in San Antonio and Sam Houston Racepark in Houston.

Carona, chairman of the Senate Business and Commerce committee, said the measure would keep an estimated $3 billion that Texans are spending at casinos in bordering states in state coffers while creating more than 75,000 jobs. The committee will consider the measure Wednesday and is likely to pass on the proposal to the full Senate, he said.

An amendment first must gain two-thirds support of the House and Senate before it goes to voters in a statewide referendum.

“No one can really determine yet what chance of ultimate passage it has this session,” Carona said Monday, noting his vote tally indicates both chambers are a few votes shy of approval. “It is a difficult bill because of the presumed political consequences of it, but the polls show there is overwhelming public support.”

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie, who has supported similar measures in the past, said the chances of a gambling bill passing this session are “slim to none.”

But Pitts said the final decision on the state's school finance trial could provide a boost. If the current ruling stands, asserting that the state's public education funding is inadequate and unconstitutional, lawmakers will be searching for a new source of revenue that isn't a new tax, he said.

Opponents, including moralists and limited-government advocates, argue that the legalization of gambling would increase family and social problems, including addiction.

“Gambling addiction decimates household budgets, tears families apart and disproportionately hurts the poor,” said state Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound.

Carona's proposal also would license three casinos in coastal counties. Twelve casinos would be reserved for racetracks, and three would be designated for federally recognized Native American tribes.

Eighty-five percent of the revenue generated would be dedicated to the Property Tax Relief Fund, which supports programs such as public education and emergency services. Remaining revenue would belong to city and county governments to fund programs to counter compulsive gambling.

The Lucky Eagle Casino in Eagle Pass, owned by the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas, is the only casino in the state, but its revenue is not taxed. Carona's proposal would require the tribe to enter into a compact with the state to determine a percentage to be paid to the state, said Eric Bearse, a spokesman for the pro-gaming group Let Texans Decide.

Mark Jones, a political scientist at Rice University, said he is skeptical of the chances gambling has this session.

“Very few people are going to vote against you in a Republican primary if you don't support gambling,” he said. “However, there is a small but significant share of the Republican electorate that may punish a Republican at the polls who supports it.”

kparker@express-news.net