Want to fix gambling laws in Texas? Use your vote

Many Texans are fond of gambling, and many of them are not fond of Attorney General Ken Paxton for issuing an opinion on Tuesday saying daily fantasy sports gambling is illegal in Texas.

Don’t blame Paxton. He gave a straightforward explanation of what’s black-and-white in state law.

Some Texans are unhappy with Gov. Greg Abbott for telling Texas Lottery Commission officials in November to stop trying to add a fantasy sports game to the state’s lottery offerings.

That’s an expansion of gambling, again black-and-white in state law.

And most of all, the Texas horse racing industry is mad at just about everybody in any official position — mostly top legislative leaders — who slammed the door on adding electronic “historical racing” gambling machines at racetracks.

Don’t forget decades of effort by big-time casino companies to build gambling houses here, under a variety of proposals on their location and how buckets of money could benefit the state.

It hasn’t happened yet.

If you must blame somebody, blame the Legislature for writing the state laws — just remember, that’s what you elect legislators to do.

If you don’t like the current laws, remember that early voting in primary elections starts Feb. 16. All 150 seats in the House and 16 of the 31 seats in the Senate are up for election.

Here’s what constitutes gambling under Texas law:

▪ Placing a bet on “the partial or final result of a game or contest or on the performance of a participant in a game or contest.” A bet is “an agreement to win or lose something of value solely or partially by chance.”

▪ Betting on “the result of any political nomination, appointment, or election or on the degree of success of any nominee, appointee, or candidate.”

▪ Playing or betting “for money or other thing of value at any game played with cards, dice, balls, or any other gambling device.”

A wrinkle in the law: You can do any of these things so long as you do it in a private place, nobody receives a benefit other than their personal winnings, and except for skill or luck the risks are the same for all players.

This story was originally published January 22, 2016 at 5:41 PM with the headline "Want to fix gambling laws in Texas? Use your vote."