Dallas leaders began a preliminary discussion last week on what it would look like locally if gambling, casinos, and game rooms were legalized during the 2025 Texas legislative session.
District 1 Councilman Chad West, who chairs the Government Performance and Financial Management Committee, said the matter isn’t currently listed among Dallas’ legislative priorities but he requested a briefing Jan. 23 to get more information on how legalized gambling has worked in other cities.
West said he’s interested in potential revenue generation and financial benefits for Dallas.
Pennsylvania Experts Weigh In on Legalized Gambling
VisitDallas CEO Craig Davis held a similar position in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, when gambling was legalized there in 2004.
“It was a very positive experience for us from a tourism perspective,” Davis said.
Dallas Director of Government Affairs Carrie Rogers said the City Council’s Economic Development Committee raised questions about public safety and potential economic and community impacts.
The Rivers Casino opened in Pittsburgh in 2009, said Rich Fitzgerald, a former Allegheny County, Pa., executive. Fitzgerald’s position was similar to that of county judge in Texas.
“It was originally opened up just for slot machines,” Fitzgerald said. “It was sold in a couple of different ways. No. 1, economic development, providing jobs for people at the casinos and the associated hotels that would be part of it. Also some tax relief for seniors … and then to fund some very big projects that they wanted to do around the state — a convention center in Philadelphia, a hockey arena for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and in our neck of the woods, helping to fund some things at our international airport.”
The Rivers expanded to allow table games such as blackjack and dice and has provided about $10 million for economic development projects each year, Fitzgerald said. He added that it hasn’t caused any major crime issues and it keeps tourism dollars in the state rather than encouraging gamblers to go to neighboring areas like New Jersey.
Licensing fees were negotiated between the Pennsylvania Legislature and the governor, Fitzgerald said, in response to a question from District 12 Councilwoman Cara Mendelsohn.
Mendelsohn, who chairs the Ad Hoc Committee on Legislative Affairs, said if a similar measure is approved in Texas, she’d like to see those funds go directly toward paying off debt.
Rogers said she expects various committees will submit their legislative priorities for a vote by the Dallas City Council in late February.
