The 2016 year has been a challenging one for gaming in Texas. Horse-racing, gaming rooms, charity bingo, and the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo tribe have all been at the forefront of this year’s challenges.

Horse-racing: Texas’s big race parks were ordered to close for a day after a dispute between the Texas Legislature and the Texas Racing Commission (TRC) over contentious “instant racing” rules that would have authorized gambling on electronic simulations of historical races on devices resembling slot machines. Afraid that this type of gambling would lead to casino-style gambling in the state, a group of legislators were successful in causing the Legislature to miss its deadline to renew funding for the TRC. Ultimately, the TRC was forced to scrap the “instant racing” rules, and traditional horse racing came back on track.

Gaming rooms have also remained an issue in the state this year. In several areas of the state, gaming rooms, mostly associated with eight-line gaming, have opened, only to be closed or threatened with closure.

Even charity bingo has not escaped the pressure. This year, the Texas Lottery Commission has made efforts to pull the licenses of bingo operators who fail to actually make money for charity.  Charity bingo was first created in the state in 1980, but has been declining in popularity in recent years.

Finally, the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo tribe has been back in court this year. The tribe opened its Continue Reading