Gaming Empire Las Vegas Sands is launching a multi-million dollar promotional blitz to raise support for a campaign that brings casinos to Texas.
According to an announcement first shared with the Texas Tribune, the company will begin commercial broadcast of TV and radio in the state’s largest market on Thursday. Advertising news came the same day the Texas House Board considered a proposal to expand gambling in the state, including supporting Las Vegas Sands. 안전한카지노사이트
Advertisements tell Texas that ‘billions of dollars in tourism and gambling’ will leave the state every year to a neighboring state that allows more gambling.
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‘This November, the state legislature could allow Texans to vote to build four world-class resorts and casinos and get those dollars back to Texas,’ says the narrator at one of the 30-minute TV spots. “We help boost the economy, create tens of thousands of jobs and fund important services such as schools and public security.”
Las Vegas Sands is funding advertising under the banner of the new Texas Destination Resort Alliance. The alliance has announced a website and social media accounts to coincide with its advertising campaign.
The company supports a law that allows the Texans to vote for the creation of special casino licenses for four “destination resorts” in the state’s four metropolitan areas: Dallas Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, and Austin. Advertising will be broadcast in these and other markets.
Las Vegas Sands spent millions of dollars hiring dozens of lobbyists in this session, hoping to convince lawmakers who were hesitant to expand their gaming options in the past.
Sand decision
Sands push has made little progress in Congress so far. The Senate version has been referred to a committee but has not yet been scheduled for a hearing.
The House Affairs Committee on Wednesday passed the Sands-backed bill, House Resolution 133 to Rep. John Kuempel, along with R-Seguin testifying on a proposal that would specifically allow sports betting in the state.
This law is being pushed by the Sports Betting Alliance, a coalition of Texas professional sports teams, betting platforms and circuits.
Both invoices remain pending.
Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, laid out HJR 133 on behalf of Kuempel, who could not attend the hearing, emphasizing that the proposal “simply allows the people of the state of Texas to make the decision” on casinos.
Geren touted the job creation that the destination resorts would generate, lamented the tourism dollars that are flowing to neighboring states and proactively addressed one criticism — that casinos would bring “blight and negative social impact.”
“To that I say: We already have negative social impact,” Geren said. “Go no further than our borders than those with an addiction can drive less than 20 minutes and then return home to our state with no resources in place for them. Go no further than your smartphone, where illegal bets are bing placed on illegal bookie apps every day.”
Geren promised that he was pitching a “highly, highly regulated option, an option for an extremely limited gaming footprint, an option which includes real resources to combat any negative effects.”
The committee also heard from Andy Abboud, Las Vegas Sands’ senior vice president of government relations, who brought up concerns that had been apparently raised by a committee member, GOP Rep. Matt Shaheen of Plano. Abboud said Las Vegas Sands would “never claim to be an economic panacea” and sees itself as another industry that wants to come to Texas — only the “threshold is much higher” due to voter 메리트카지노 approval.
Shaheen was easily the most skeptical member of the committee, at one point saying the Sands-supported proposal seems “very favorable” toward Las Vegas hospitality operators and suggesting that Texas companies could be boxed out.
Abboud disagreed and said nothing in the legislation prohibits a partnership with a Texas company, noting that Las Vegas Sands has been “working very closely with Tilman Fertitta,” the Houston billionaire and CEO of Landry’s, which operates casinos, hotels and restaurants.
House Speaker
The committee otherwise heard opposition from representatives of the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission and the Kickapoo Tribe, which is allowed to operate a casino in Eagle Pass as one of Texas’ three federally recognized tribes.
House Speaker Dade Phelan was more open to gambling expansion than Senate Speaker Dan Patrick, Lieutenant Governor, who praised the idea. Gov. Greg Abbott said he would like to hear from lawmakers on the matter.
Adelson’s widow, Miriam Adelson, traveled to Austin last month to meet Abbott and Patrick separately. A spokesperson for Abbott described the meeting as a gathering of friends that had little to do with the legislation. 안전한카지노사이트
The House and Senate proposals backed by the Senate have been passed since their inception in early March.
House Law has since attracted three co-authors: Gran and Tony Rose, Dee Dallas, Sam Harrells, R. Houston.
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