FRISCO, Texas — Legalized sports betting would be “a plus” for Texas, Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said Friday, three days after an election that replaced the state’s governor and lieutenant governor.
Jones made the comments on 105.3 The Fan’s K&C Masterpiece when the hosts opened by asking whether Tuesday’s results could leave the state more open to legalization.
Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated Republican Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday, and Democrat Vikki Goodwin defeated Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who presides over the Texas Senate. The Senate did not take up a sports betting proposal the Texas House passed in 2023, and another push stalled in 2025, Covers reported.
Regulated betting works best when everyone is on the same page and watching for problems, in Jones’ view.
“Texas is one of maybe two, and I could be off maybe some there, but not much, that does not have legalized sports gambling,” Jones said. “And, of course, it does go on because cell phones or phones cross state lines.”
“So gaming goes on all the time,” Jones continued. “And since it does go on and does have its best result when everybody’s on the same page and you’re controlling and watching for any of the issues that are involved with gaming. And so it is a plus in my mind with the best place in the world for sports, Texas, for us to have the gaming, and hopefully the new turnover, you might say, and the politics will see it that way.”
Among states without legal sports betting, only one has more people than Texas, according to Covers. Under Patrick, gambling bills needed support from a majority of Senate Republicans before the Senate would take them up. Goodwin wants to put online casinos and online sports betting in front of voters. Hinojosa voted against the sports betting amendment that passed the House in 2023 and has not laid out a gambling proposal of her own.
The next legislative session opens in January 2027. A constitutional amendment needs two-thirds of the House and two-thirds of the Senate before it goes to voters. The governor cannot veto the resolution that proposes one.
Jerry Jones On The NFL’s Shift On Sports Betting
The U.S. Supreme Court struck down the federal ban on state-sanctioned sports betting in May 2018. In Jones’ view, the more oversight betting gets, the less chance it has to touch the games.
“Perception, just sensitivity about not wanting to think that there was anything other than just pure, pure, everybody going out, doing their very best, pure competition, and not wanting to have a situation where it might be alluded that a player or coach or anybody involved could be swayed by a [financial interest] or a wager,” Jones explained.
“So that’s it in a nutshell, the credibility factor,” Jones added. “And the more, the more, the more scrutinized it is, the better it’s understood, the better it’s in control, the less you have in our minds of chance to abuse it and have it, in fact, involved with competition.”
Jones Calls Himself Apolitical
One of the hosts noted that Jones was around Bill Clinton in Arkansas and has dealt with several Texas governors. Jones said he steers clear of party politics because the Cowboys’ fans come from every party.
“I’m really apolitical. I really can’t afford to be a party, because our fans are all party,” Jones said. “And so I’m very deliberate. When I have something that will help the Cowboys, then I’m all in and I’ll go all out. But it’s all about the Cowboys.”
“Not about, I’ve been told, ‘Well, you need to be more socially involved,’” Jones continued. “Look, I do everything that I can possibly do to make the Cowboys interesting, entertaining, have fans come to the stadium, have people watch it on television. And that’s my 99.9% reason for doing anything. So that’s what it is. And getting really intensely involved in political is not my gig.”
Dallas (3-5) plays at the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday at noon CT on FOX.
