A prominent Lone Star State figure says offshore sports betting is harming Texas youth, a major reason to legalize and regulate gaming in the massive U.S. market.
Dallas Cowboys co-owner and chief brand officer Charlotte Jones told CBS News during a recent interview that she supports bringing online sports betting to Texas to remove threatening “bad actors.”
Jones said Texans "don’t understand that there’s a risk" and that regulation is necessary to protect the state’s citizens.
“There are actually (offshore sports betting) apps that are targeting our kids, our college kids,” Jones said. “They’re targeting our high school kids and they’re going direct to them in this black market and allowing them to participate in this gambling where they don’t have to prove their age and they don’t have to verify anything. Then they find themselves in a trap they can’t get out of.
"We really want to make that legal and put the restrictions around that so our kids can become safe.”
Other benefits
Jones also sees sports betting as a way to help communities prosper. The daughter of famous Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Pennsylvania hauled in $640 million of tax revenue over five years.
“With that money, they’ve been able to infuse that back into the community,” Jones said. “Just think if we had that money here in Texas, think about what that could mean for so many things for us that are important to Texans.”
And then there’s the Cowboys. Jones helps run the most lucrative sports franchise in the world, valued by Forbes at $9 billion. One of the reasons the NFL team has grown to that degree is its marketability.
With 38 U.S. states operating legalized sports betting, adding Texas to the list grows interest and branding for the Cowboys.
“I think the engagement and enthusiasm (Dallas fans) have for their team is there and they want to participate,” Jones said. “We love that people are Cowboys fans. Engagement is part of our society. It’s very incumbent upon us to make sure that it’s done the right way.”
‘Resistant and stubborn’
Texas is one of the least gambling-oriented states in the U.S.
Despite having the largest population in the country behind California, another unregulated sports betting market, the Lone Star State has no commercial casinos and has halted previous attempts at legalizing sports wagering.
“We’re one of the few hanging on and being a little resistant and stubborn to this effort,” Jones said.
The NFL is a driving force in a legal sports betting market that’s generated more than $400 billion in wagers since PASPA was overturned in 2018.
The Cowboys are the biggest brand in a league that has openly embraced advertising deals with major U.S. sportsbooks.
Dallas already has a branding partnership with slot machine manufacturer Aristocrat Games. The Cowboys are also part of the Texas Sports Betting Alliance group that features a dozen sports teams along with sports betting operators pushing for wagering in the state.
Texas-sized hurdle
A sports betting bill made it through the state’s House last year, but Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, an influential leader in the Senate, thwarted the legislative attempt and is against bringing any form of gambling to the Lone Star State.
Jones hopes her pitch could change the way Texans look at sports betting.
“We’re hoping to get (a sports betting bill) back in there and really just bring this to the voters because it’s our decision as Texans how we think our state should be regulated,” Jones said. “In this case, while we’re usually against regulation, this is about the safety of our kids, the safety of our teenagers and this is why we need this regulation now.”
