The U.S. State, Texas, is more well-known for its oil reserves than it is for its Indian Reservations and tribal gaming. With only a small handful of gambling destinations, including a riverboat casino, greyhound tracks and a tribal casino, Texas still has a long way to go to satisfy the apparently poker-thirsty Texans. With an ever-increasing demand for more gambling options in the Lone Star State, the state is apparently losing out on billions of dollars that Texans are spending in nearby states like Missouri, Oklahoma and Louisiana.

This is precisely what state legislators are attempting to rectify, following an unsuccessful bid to introduce gambling legislation two years ago. Putting a constitutional amendment on the November 6 ballot, Senators Rodney Ellis and John Carona are pushing to create a Texas Gaming Commission for licensing twelve casino resorts. The Chairman of the House Committee on Licensing and Administrative Procedures, Senator Keno Flores has approved the bill already, in addition to a bill of his own. Flores' bill (HB 1405) calls for introducing video slot machines to racetracks and Indian reservations in Texas.

Meeting the demand of poker players in Texas, Senators Jose Menendez and Allan Ritter were the first to introduce gambling legislation (HB 3186), which Flores had previously approved as well. Backed by the Texas Gaming Association and helping to sustain the forward momentum to open the doors to casino gambling, Ellis and Carona have implemented a plan that would give $1 billion in tax revenue a year to pay for community college and public university tuitions costs for Texas citizens.

It is estimated that from $3 billion to $4.5 billion in state revenue could be generated in a years time, 400,000 jobs would be created and over 240,000 students would have their college tuition paid for. And while these numbers certainly look good, not to mention the fact that Texans are indeed crossing state lines to get their casino gambling fix elsewhere, it will still be up to two-thirds of the House and Senate, not to mention the voters themselves.