All of the professional sports franchises in the state, as well as the PGA Tour and Texas Motor Speedway, are members of the Sports Betting Alliance, which also includes sportsbook operators Barstool Sportsbook, BetMGM, DraftKings, and FanDuel. Former Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX) is a spokesman for the group.

Texas Sports Betting Separate from Casino Push

In addition to the sports betting bills, some Texas lawmakers are pushing legislation to allow the state to have casino hotels — something gaming companies favor because of the state’s compelling demographics and a booming population.

Some experts view the odds of Texas approving casinos and sports betting in a single legislative session as slim, and opposition to gaming venues is an obvious hurdle. As such, the bills introduced by Kolkhorst and Leach are specific to sports wagering. Likewise, the Sports Betting Alliance deals only with sports wagering, and isn’t actively taking a stance on casinos in Texas.

Lawmakers backing casinos and sports betting, or both, need to ready some compelling arguments. That’s because many of the states that recently embraced mobile sports wagering, such as Illinois and New York, needed the cash. That’s not the case in Texas, where this year’s budget surplus is forecast to be $32.7 billion.

Betfred has announced that its brick-and-mortar location at the Mohegan Sun Las Vegas, an off-Strip casino inside Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, will open on Thursday. The venue will be called Betfred at Mohegan Sun Sportsbook, as most employees who will work there will be employees of the Connecticut-based casino operator.

The announcement comes less than two weeks after the Nevada Gaming Commission approved a license for Betfred, which first entered into an agreement with Mohegan to manage the sportsbook. At that time, Betfred officials said they expected to open the book before this weekend’s Super Bowl.

After a long regulatory process, we are thrilled to finally open the doors of the Betfred at Mohegan Sun Sportsbook,” Betfred Founder and Chairman Fred Done said in a statement. “This facility means so much to me and the entire Betfred team as we enter into the Nevada market, the sports betting capital of the world, ready to wow sports fans with a leading, modern facility at Mohegan Casino Las Vegas.”

Done started Betfred in the UK more than 50 years ago. The company has more than 1,400 locations across the Atlantic.

Former Football Star to Place First Bet

To celebrate the grand opening, Betfred will have Ickey Woods place the first wager at the sportsbook. Woods was an iconic football player for the Cincinnati Bengals, although injuries shortened his career. He helped lead the Bengals to the Super Bowl in his rookie season and became popular for his “Ickey Shuffle” touchdown dance.

In Ohio, the Bengals are the sports betting partner for Betfred, which has an online license in the Buckeye State.

Woods also has a Las Vegas connection, as the Bengals drafted him out of UNLV. Woods still holds team records even after he left the program more than 35 years ago.

Besides Nevada and Ohio, Betfred also offers either retail or online sports betting (or both) in Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington state.

Betfred Also Partners with Golden Knights

On the heels of gaining licensure in Nevada, Betfred also inked a new partnership. Last week, the operator became an official sports betting partner of 토토사이트 the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights.