Gov. Greg Abbott has made it clear that gambling in the state of Texas is unconstitutional and that efforts to legalize it are effectively dead.
During a Tuesday press conference in Houston, Abbott fielded a question about the legalization of gambling in Texas and perceived loopholes in state law—sometimes referred to as the “fuzzy bear” or “fuzzy animal” exception—that allow certain amusement machines to award low-value, non-cash prizes.
Abbott responded that gambling is illegal in the state and said he does not believe the Texas Legislature will pass any bills to legalize it.
“I can tell you this: gambling in the state of Texas is illegal, whether it’s at the local or state level or whatever the case may be,” Abbott said.
“I don’t know how that works, and I’m not sure about fuzzy bears and things like that,” Abbott continued. “We’ll look into the fuzzy bears. All I can tell you is what the law says, and that is, gambling is unconstitutional in the state of Texas, and I don’t see that changing in the next session.”
The question comes amid recent reports circulating about pro-gambling political action committees pouring millions of dollars into state elections in an effort to pressure lawmakers to support legalization.
Recently, it was uncovered that sports betting companies are joining the fight by donating thousands of dollars to multiple Republican candidates during the most recent primary elections.
Three PACs—Texas Conservative Fund, Conservative Agenda for America, and Win For America—have all been linked to DraftKings, an online sports betting platform based in Massachusetts.
During the Texas Republican primary, TCF spent more than $2.6 million on text messages, television ads, and direct mail supporting Republican candidates across the state.
Specifically, the PAC supported Texas State Reps. Jay Dean (HD-7), Angelina Orr (HD-13), Stan Gerdes (HD-17), Jeff Leach (HD-67), Stan Kitzman (HD-85), Ken King (HD-88), Jared Patterson (HD-106), Morgan Meyer (HD-108), and Marc Lahood (HD-121).
TCF also backed Republican candidates Armin Mizani, Willie Ng, Kelly Peterson, and Jay Hardaway.
Ten of the candidates supported by the PAC won their primaries on Election Day, while Peterson is headed to a runoff against Stan Stanart for Texas House District 126.
Additionally, other prominent PACs, including Las Vegas Sands PAC and Texas Defense PAC, have spent tens of millions in primaries to support candidates more open to legalize gambling, while opposing those who are not.
However, despite the influx of campaign spending, both Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick have signaled continued opposition to gambling, with many lawmakers remaining against it as well.