In May of 2014, the Texas State Senate voted in favor of a bill that would legalize bingo in the state. The bill, SB 2036, was sponsored by State Senator John Whitmire (D-Houston).
Bingo is currently legal in 23 states across the country.
According to Whitmire, legalizing bingo would help reduce poverty and gambling addictions in Texas. He stated that “Texans spend millions of dollars on bingo and other gambling activities each year and it is time we had a discussion about how we can better use these resources.”
The American Gaming Association (AGA) supports the legalization of bingo because it believes it can help reduce problem gambling. The AGA also believes that regulated bingo can help promote healthy social activities and provide economic benefits to communities.
Some opponents of legalizing bingo argue that it could lead to increased gambling addiction in Texas. Others believe that the state could miss out on tax revenue if bingo is legalized.
However, the majority of Texans appear to support the legalization of bingo. In fact, a poll conducted by The Dallas Morning News in March of 2014 found that 56 percent of Texans support legalizing bingo.
