Texas Ousts Dan Patrick, but a Gambling Amendment Still Needs Senate Republicans

The lieutenant governor whose Senate never took up the House's 2023 sports betting amendment lost on 3 November to a Democrat who wants voters to decide. But Republicans still hold the Senate, and an amendment needs two-thirds of it.

• Democrat Vikki Goodwin beat Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick on 3 November, about 52% to 46% on the Associated Press's unofficial count
• Gina Hinojosa, also a Democrat, defeated Governor Greg Abbott, and Democrats appear to have taken the Texas House while Republicans kept the Senate 19 to 12
• Legalising sports betting or casinos needs a constitutional amendment backed by two-thirds of all members of each chamber, then a statewide vote, so at least nine Republican senators would have to agree
• In 2023 the House adopted a sports betting amendment by 101 to 42, with Hinojosa voting against, and the Senate never took it up
• Democrats also won Ohio and Georgia, whose governors-elect back online casinos and a casino vote respectively, while Nebraska and three Indiana counties voted against expansion

Texas Voters Removed the Senate's Gatekeeper on 3 November

Goodwin, a state representative from Austin, denied Patrick a fourth term and becomes the first Democratic lieutenant governor in 27 years, the Texas Tribune reported. The AP's unofficial count gave her about 52% to Patrick's 46%, according to CBS Austin on 4 November. Patrick conceded after midnight: "It was a fair election, and I accept the majority will of the voters." The results remain unofficial until the Texas Secretary of State certifies them.

Hinojosa, also an Austin representative, defeated Abbott in a race called by the AP; Abbott conceded at 10pm, the Texas Tribune reported. Both take office in January.

The lieutenant governor presides over the Senate and, under the chamber's rules, appoints committee members and assigns bills. A Fox 7 Austin interviewer described Patrick in September 2025 as firmly opposed to casino gambling. The Texas Tribune noted that the office's power comes largely from rules senators adopt, which a Republican majority could rewrite before Goodwin takes the gavel.

The Legislature Is Split Between the Two Chambers

On the AP count reported by Fox 4 on 4 November, Republicans keep the Senate 19 to 12, while Democrats lead the House with 76 seats to 61 and 13 races uncalled.

Article XVII of the Texas Constitution requires a proposed amendment to win "two-thirds of all the members elected to each House" before it goes to voters. That is 100 of 150 House members and 21 of 31 senators. The 90th Legislature convenes on 12 January 2027.

The House has cleared that bar. On 11 May 2023 it adopted HJR 102, a sports betting amendment, by 101 votes to 42, one more than required. Hinojosa voted against it; Goodwin was recorded as absent. The Senate received the resolution the next day and took no further action.

What the Winners Have Said

Goodwin told Fox 7 Austin in September 2025 that Texans who already gamble or travel to other states' casinos should be able to vote: "why don't we allow them to vote to have a say?" She said she wanted "something more broad" than the destination resorts proposed for specific cities, with a more deliberative process for deciding where casinos go and who runs them. Hinojosa's campaign centred on education and household costs, according to The Texas Newsroom.

Across the United States, Amy Acton defeated Vivek Ramaswamy for Ohio governor, on a CBS News projection. iGaming Business reported that she supports legalising online casinos with safeguards on player safety and advertising; the legislature is Republican-controlled. In Georgia, NBC News projected Keisha Lance Bottoms the winner over Rick Jackson. In April she told Atlanta News First she would propose a public vote on casino gambling: "It will bring about $300 million into this state that can help us expand education."

The Senate Arithmetic Still Belongs to Republicans

Under the current rules Goodwin could refer a resolution to a friendly committee, but she cannot vote for it. With at most 12 Democratic senators, a sports betting or casino amendment needs at least nine Republicans, and the Senate did not even take up the 2023 House amendment. The 2023 House margin was a single vote. If Senate Republicans strip the lieutenant governor of referral powers in January, even the procedural gain could shrink.

A Governor Does Not Sign Amendments, So Hinojosa's 2023 Vote Matters Less

A joint resolution proposing a constitutional amendment goes from the Legislature to voters, not to the governor. Hinojosa's vote against HJR 102 signals her view, but she would have no veto over an amendment, only over the enabling law that follows it.

Executive Wins Without Legislatures Are a Pattern, Not a Breakthrough

Ohio and Georgia show the same limit: Acton cannot legalise online casinos without Republican legislators, and Bottoms's casino vote is a proposal, not a power she holds alone. Nebraska's rejection of online sports betting on the same night is a reminder that a statewide vote is a final hurdle, not a formality. With the Texas Senate already examining prediction markets, operators' best argument to Republican senators may be regulating what Texans already reach through federally registered exchanges.

Patrick's defeat removes the person who decided whether gambling bills moved, not the votes those bills lacked. The test comes in January, when the Senate writes its rules and senators decide whether to vote at all on a question the chamber left untouched in 2023.