Texas Gambling Opponent Patrick Trails in New Poll of Lt. Governor Race

Texas gambling advocates have long dreamed of bringing legal betting to the Lone Star State. A new poll suggests they have reason to hope.

A Texas Pulse/Texas A&M Bush School poll has current Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, long seen as the biggest opponent to legal gambling in Texas, trailing challenger Vikki Goodwin by a 48-46% margin. The poll, released Aug. 7, has a margin of error of 4.4 points.

The poll said that 46% percent of voters view Patrick unfavorably, against just 14% for Goodwin. Fifty-six percent of voters said they didn’t know Goodwin well enough for an opinion.

Patrick is seeking his fourth term as the state’s lieutenant governor. That’s a critical race for Texas gambling, because the lieutenant governor has control of the Texas Senate’s agenda. While multiple bills regarding gambling in Texas have passed the state House, Patrick has refused to even debate them in the Senate.

That came to a head in 2023, when the Texas House passed the Texas Sporting Betting Legalization Amendment with two-thirds vote. Had the effort been successful, the question of legal sports betting in Texas would have gone to the voters in November 2024.

Patrick, however, blocked the bill in the state Senate. This election marks the first time Patrick will face the voters since that decision.

How Could Texas Gambling Become Legalized?

Texas needs to amend its constitution to legalize sports betting. That’s a multi-step process, which first requires a bill to pass both the state House and Senate with two-thirds support. If that support is achieved, the question goes on the ballot at the next election.

Patrick, a fierce opponent of gambling, has used his position to block the question. Previously, he has said that he’s not going to pass anything that isn’t a Republican-led effort. But Democrats control 64 seats in the state House, meaning any amendment must get some Democratic support.

Making the process more difficult is that the Texas legislature does not meet in even years. Texas legislative sessions last from January to May of odd years, unless the governor calls a special session. When a special session is called, any legislation must relate to the topic at hand. In practice, that’s allowed Patrick to single-handedly block Texas gambling.

How Has Vikki Goodwin Approached the Issue?

Goodwin, a Democratic House representative from Bee Cave, has taken a much more favorable stance toward gambling. She has not made Texas gambling a priority of her campaign, but she has said that she wants to see the question put to the voters.

In 2025, Goodwin said she favors a ballot question for both casinos and sports betting in Texas. With the Texas House on board, that means 21 state Senators would be all that are necessary to put gambling before Texas voters. As long as the House sends the bill through, all indications are that Goodwin would bring it to the Senate floor.

What’s the Timeline?

With less than three months before the election, this race is one of the most important in the country for gambling interests.

If Goodwin wins, Texas voters will almost certainly decide on legal gambling in the 2028 election. If Patrick wins, legal gambling in Texas will almost certainly remain blocked until at least 2032.