Lege may gamble on gambling

Nearly a year after legislators soundly spurned video lottery terminals as a way to pay for education, expanded gambling appears close to winning a fresh look as new forces work opposite sides of the perennial fight at the Capitol.

Key lawmakers in both houses say momentum for gaming could swell once legislators get a fix on funding gaps for public schools, health care, criminal justice and higher education in the 2006-07 state budget.

"Gambling has a chance of resurrecting itself," said Sen. Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, "just because it's going to be hard to make everything balance."

And while conservative opponents of gaming say they still have enough clout to thwart the efforts in the GOP-controlled Legislature, their political rivals also like their chances.

-more-
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/shared/tx/legislature/stories/03/21casino.html

I am trying to arrange an appointment with the little (expletive deleted) Todd Baxter. He won't see me, it must be something about my supporting Kelly White. The regressive tax act will do nothing to help schools, but Westlake will be able to purchase a matching Jumbotron for the other end of their edifice/$7million football stadium.

All the eightliners in Texas disappeared and people love to play the phoney slots.

Gambling is a basic human compulsion and the house will always win in the long run, but might as well tax the stupid people while they are having fun.

The Indians in Oklahoma are smart. They just upgraded to blackjack.

How about some legalized sports betting in Texas?