Texas Primaries Deal Setback to Las Vegas Sands’ Casino Push

Last week’s Texas primaries dealt Las Vegas Sands (LVS) a setback, as several anti-gambling incumbents defeated challengers backed by the company’s two political action committees, Texas Sands PAC and Texas Defense PAC.

The results highlight the political challenges LVS faces in its long campaign to build a destination casino resort in one of the largest untapped U.S. gambling markets.

Still, the company has said it’s not giving up and will continue to invest in Texas politicians who would support its plan.

Sands-Backed Candidates Fail to Flip Key Seats

State Reps. David Lowe, Terri Leo-Wilson, Mark Dorazio, and Andy Hopper each easily defeated primary challengers backed by the casino company. In some races, the margins exceeded 20 percentage points.

Outspoken anti-gambling activist Cheryl Bean won the Republican nomination in House District 94 despite opposition from Sands-aligned super PACs.

Previously, one of the candidates LVS supported most heavily, John Huffman, failed to advance to the runoff in the November Senate District 9 special election. According to campaign finance reports, Huffman received $1.2 million from Texas Sands PAC.

Rice University political scientist Mark Jones summarized the challenge facing the company, as reported by the Texas Tribune:

“If the prize is destination resort casinos in Texas, Las Vegas Sands is now further away from it in 2026 than they were in 2023.”

Still, LVS does have political supporters. According to the Tribune, Sands PAC has donated directly to over 40 House and Senate incumbents.

One development that could be seen as positive for LVS was James Talarico’s victory in the Democratic primary. Despite his Christian platform, he has publicly endorsed legalizing casinos in the state.

In his latest campaign, Talarico emphasized that it was “people-powered.” He said that 98% of donations came from contributions of $100 or less. However, he previously received funding from Texas Sands PAC. In 2024, the PAC donated $59,000 to Talarico, making it his largest donor that year, according to state campaign finance records.

A Long-Running Political Campaign

The latest primary results come after years of lobbying and political spending by the company. LVS founder Sheldon Adelson made Texas a top priority for the company before he died in 2021. That year alone, the company had over 100 lobbyists and spent between $5 and $10 million.

His widow, Miriam Adelson, continued the push, spending millions on lobbying. Last year, she donated over $9 million to each of the two affiliated PACs to prepare for the primaries and subsequent elections.

The Texas Sands PAC donates directly to candidates. Meanwhile, the Texas Defense PAC supports them through mail, digital, and voter campaigns.

Adelson also bought a majority stake in the Dallas Mavericks for about $3.8 billion in 2023.

Matthew Wilson, an associate professor of political science at Southern Methodist University, says LVS’s perseverance makes sense given the potential financial windfall of legal casino gambling in Texas.

“There’s enough to gain that they’ll continue to spend,” Wilson said. “If Texas does at some point open up to casino gambling, there will be an enormous amount of money to be made here in the state.”

The long-term push comes as the company continues to deliver strong financial results. In its latest earnings report, Sands reported $3.65 billion in quarterly revenue and $1.41 billion in adjusted property EBITDA. The results were driven largely by record performance at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.

Despite its name, LVS no longer operates properties in the U.S. after selling its Las Vegas assets in 2022.

Political Roadblocks Remain

Even if Sands succeeds in electing more pro-casino lawmakers in future cycles, the company still faces significant hurdles in Austin, particularly from Republican leadership.

The biggest challenge remains Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who leads the Texas Senate. Patrick has been one of the most vocal critics of gambling legalization. In the past two legislative sessions, he vowed that the Senate would not even vote on gambling bills.

Last week, Patrick overwhelmingly secured the Republican nomination for a fourth four-year term, suggesting the opposition will likely continue for the foreseeable future.

Additionally, in December 2025, Gov. Greg Abbott said he is “not there yet” when asked whether he supports casino legislation. He cited concerns over sports integrity and the social implications of gambling expansion as reasons.

Another sign of leadership’s sentiment on gambling is the abolition of the Texas Lottery Commission last year, following allegations of corruption surrounding a $95 million winning ticket sold by an online courier.

Despite political resistance, however, various polls suggest that the public supports gambling expansion.

Sands Says It Is Playing the Long Game

Despite the disappointing primary results and continued political resistance, Sands has signaled that it won’t stop investing in Texas politics as part of a long-term strategy.

In a statement following the primaries, Sands PAC said, “The long game matters.” It added that “Texas Sands PAC is playing to win.”

Andy Abboud, senior vice president of government relations for LVS, wrote in a statement that the company’s “remains unchanged: trust Texas voters.“ He said that the company will continue to support pro-gambling candidates.

How long LVS will continue pursuing the strategy remains unclear. For now, however, the company appears fully committed to the effort — even if last week’s efforts did not deliver the results it had hoped for.

As Jones put it:

“I definitely think they’re in the long game… I do think that they had hoped the long game wouldn’t be so long.”