March 2, 2025
The Honorable Greg Abbott, Governor
The Honorable Dan Patrick, Lieutenant Governor
The Honorable Members of the Texas Legislature
Dear Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, & Members of the Texas Legislature,
We, the undersigned, urge each of you to oppose predatory gambling in all of its forms within the State of Texas. This means opposing the re-authorization of the Texas Lottery, opposing any Constitutional Amendments and Bills to legalize Casinos (also called Destination Resorts), sports gambling, and online gambling. Essentially opposing any, and all Class III Gambling operations in Texas.
Predatory gambling includes all forms of gambling in which the government partners with powerful
corporate gambling interests to allow legalized, commercialized, for-profit gambling companies to exploit citizens and their communities. This form of gambling directly contradicts our state’s conservative values and harms Texas families, businesses, and communities. Furthermore, taxpayers are expected to pay for increases in social services and law enforcement costs in exchange for the “promise” of additional state revenues from this gambling partnership. To put it into perspective, while promising financial relief for education, the reality of Texas’ own Lottery experience is funding for less than 1 week of education per year and an operation riddled with corruption.
The Republican Party of Texas Platform is clear in its opposition to the expansion of gambling, stating the following in plank 65: “We oppose any expansion of gambling, including legalized casino gambling. We oppose and call for a veto of any budget that relies on expansion of legalized casino gambling of any type or size, whether as a standalone business or partnered with any other business or resort, as a method of finance.”
Texans expect you, their elected officials, to continue to represent their best interests and to utilize Texan talents and resources to solve their issues and maintain their freedoms. Texans do NOT want you to sell out and depend upon an outsider’s promises of good faith for their solutions, well-being, or freedoms. Once again, we urge you to oppose predatory gambling in Texas by ending the Texas Lottery and rejecting the legalized expansion of Class III gambling operations such as casinos and online sports gambling.
Sincerely,
Bo French, Tarrant County GOP Chairman
Jonathon Saenz, President, Texas Values
Les Bernal, National Director, Stop Predatory Gambling
Russell Coleman, Chairman, Texas Against Gambling
Dave Welch, Exec Director, Texas Pastors Council
Andrew McVeigh, President, Texans for Fiscal Responsibility
Cary Cheshire, President, Tarrant County Patriots PAC
Cindi Castilla, President, Texas Eagle Forum
Dr. Bob Pearle, Senior Pastor, Birchman Baptist Church
John Litzler, Director of Public Policy, Texas Baptists Christian Life Commission Lance Cashion, Founder & CEO, Forge Room Foundation
Myong Chong, National President, Federation of Korean Americans Association