Jerry Jones Says Texas Sports Betting Could Advance After November Election

Jerry Jones told Dallas sports radio on Friday that Texas could legalise sports betting after the November 3 midterm elections changed control of key offices. Jones said the political turnover and recent Democratic victories create a better environment for legal wagering while reiterating his long-standing view that the state is missing tax revenue from unregulated betting.

Election outcome and who won

Democrat Vikki Goodwin defeated Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in the November 3 election; Patrick had for years blocked gambling bills as lieutenant governor by controlling which measures reached the Senate floor. The same election delivered a win for Gina Hinojosa, who defeated Gov. Greg Abbott, and James Talarico, who won a US Senate seat. Texas remains among 11 US states without legal sports betting.

Jerry Jones renews his argument

Jones made his comments during an interview with 105.3 The Fan in Dallas. "It is a plus in my mind with the best place in the world for sports, Texas, for us to have the gaming and hopefully the new turnover, you might say, in the politics will see it that way," he said. He told the station he has long argued the state loses potential tax revenue while neighbouring jurisdictions collect money from legal wagering.

He has previously framed the missed opportunity in fiscal terms: in 2024 he described the lost potential as “huge amounts of revenue,” and in 2021 he said legal sports betting would eventually become normal in Texas. During a January 2023 KRLD interview he outlined how gambling tax receipts could fund public services. “The benefits can go in Texas, could adhere to the right kind of people, or some property tax,” he said. “Certainly help educate our great state’s children. All of those things can be enhanced by something that’s presently going on in a big, big way.”

Politics, donations and priorities

Jones has donated more than $1 million to Republican causes, including Donald Trump MAGA Inc. and Ken Paxton, but told the radio audience that football takes precedence over party politics. He recently contributed $10 million to the Clinton Foundation. "I’m really apolitical. I really can’t afford to be a party because our fans are all parties," he said. "When I have something that will help the Cowboys, then I’m all in. But it’s all about the Cowboys."

What happens next for legalisation

Any move to legalise sports betting in Texas still requires legislation approved by the state legislature. Jones and other proponents argue both a fiscal case and a competitive one — that neighbouring jurisdictions already collect wagering revenue — but lawmakers must draft and pass a bill before wagering can be regulated.

For operators and suppliers tracking market openings, a changed political landscape after November 3 increases the probability of a legislative push, though no bill has yet been filed or passed.