Mayor Johnson: Operators Eyeing Dallas Must Consider the City Council

Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson commented on the future of casino gaming in the city during his annual interview with the Dallas Regional Chamber of Commerce. He outlined some of the challenges operators may have to face, warning them that the legalization of casino gaming is not the only thing they need to keep in mind.

Johnson reflected on this possibility in the wake of the deal between Las Vegas Sands and the Dallas Mavericks which saw the casino operator acquire land in Irving.

While Texas doesn’t currently allow commercial casino gaming, activists have sought to change that for years, with some spending millions on lobbying. The recent acquisition of the Mavericks, which is still subject to approval from the NBA, has sparked theories that the coming of casino gaming may be on the horizon.

Obviously, casino gambling is not legal in Texas, right? It’s not. And so, it would need to become legal by a change in state law.

Eric Johnson

While the legislature will ultimately decide whether casino gaming can happen at all, Johnson believes that the conversation doesn’t need to start there.

The Council Would Decide if a Company Can “Plop a Casino”

Johnson explained that consulting the city council is a major thing casino operators need to consider. He pointed out that even if Texas legalizes Tier III gaming, Dallas’ council would be the one deciding where companies can develop a casino or whether they get to develop a casino at all.

The folks I sit around the horseshoe every day, I can guarantee you, are gonna have to have a say in where you plop a casino in the City of Dallas, or whether you get to plop a casino in the City of Dallas.

Eric Johnson

Operators would need to secure a myriad of permits to get a casino project approved, which is why the Dallas mayor believes that discussion with the city council is an important thing operators should keep in mind.

Proponents of casino gaming argue that its legalization would bolster tourism and have a huge positive impact on the local economy. The owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Mark Cuban, has been one of the biggest supporters of casino gaming, saying that it would attract many visitors to The Lone Star State.

In any case, many believe that the outlook for casino gaming remains bleak despite Las Vegas Sands’ active efforts to change that. As of the time of this writing, only tribal operators are allowed to run casinos in the state.

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