Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones believes Texas is missing out on millions in tax revenue without legalized sports betting. Jones, 81, was recently asked by reporters about his stance on the Lone Star State potentially legalizing sports wagering in the future.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says sports betting will eventually come to Texas

“I think ultimately, you’ll have sports betting in the state of Texas. Until that time, the state does lose an opportunity for huge amounts of revenue,” the Cowboys owner said.

“I think that properly, properly supervised, by the people that play the games and people that have the teams that play the games and the individual athletes — you’ve got to make sure that the perception is, and the reality is that there’s just no compromising on it all being very competitive and up-and-up. I think that takes some time in some places more than it does others.”

Jones seems to support the legalization of sports gambling in Texas. However, the Lone Star State is still at least a year away from entering the U.S. betting market. As of August 2024, 38 states and Washington D.C. offer some form of legal sports betting.

Eilers & Krejcik Gaming removed Texas from the list of states likely to legalize sports betting by 2025

According to a recent report by Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, a Southern California research and consulting firm specializing in the sports betting industry, Texas has been removed from the list of states likely to legalize the activity by 2025.

“We previously projected that Texas would legalize in November 2025 via ballot measure and then launch in fall 2026. We’ve now pushed the timeline back a legislative session,”

The Texas House passed an online sports betting bill in 2023. This bill was backed by major sports betting companies, a coalition of Texas’ professional sports teams, and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Nevertheless, it was later blocked in the Senate. In May, a Texas poll revealed that most residents were in favor of online sports gambling legislation. Though, Texans were split on sportsbooks at stadiums.

The majority of Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Mavericks fans support legislation, according to recent polls.

Amazon is backing out as a financing partner of Diamond Sports Group. But that move is not expected to either imperil the Bally Sports parent’s attempted reorganization from bankruptcy, or the streaming giant’s status as a potential distribution partner for the regional sports network operator. 

The decision arrives about eight months after Amazon had agreed to provide $115 million in bankruptcy exit financing, in turn receiving 15% of the company. The deal was also set to establish Amazon Prime Video as DSG’s “primary partner” for fans to access the RSNs on a direct-to-consumer basis.

But DSG’s need for the funds has perhaps lessened. In addition to restructuring $450 million in debt, the company also settled a prior legal battle with corporate parent Sinclair, Inc. that involved DSG receiving an additional $495 million. DSG in recent weeks has also made major steps toward being able to emerge from bankruptcy, finalizing a new distribution deal with Comcast, the No. 2 cable carrier in the U.S., and completing revised rights deals with both the NBA and NHL. 

After reaching those agreements, DSG conveyed a heightened confidence in being able to reorganize. But after a confirmation hearing set for July was postponed, a new date has not yet been set. 

Amazon could remain involved as the DTC partner of DSG. As a result, the post-exit financing is not—and wasn’t ever—a singularly determinative factor in DSG’s bid to recover.

Meanwhile, Amazon continues to rack up additional sports rights, most recently landing a national package with the NBA that begins with the 2025–2026 season.

Since the launch of WSOP in Pennsylvania in 2021, nearly 40 online bracelet events have been hosted in the state. Unfortunately, these events have averaged just 234 entries and generated average prize pools of approximately $115,000.

In contrast, online bracelet events in shared liquidity states benefit from the significantly larger player pool, with some events even producing prize pools of around $1 million.

Specifically, during the same period the shared liquidity network (NJ, NV and now MI) sees average prize pools of $634,000 — nearly six times larger — and a turnout of about 900 entries — nearly four times more.

This difference raises concerns about the prestige of the gold bracelet. If the bracelet events in Pennsylvania consistently result in much smaller prize pools and lower turnouts, the value of winning such a bracelet could be seen as diminished compared to those awarded in states with larger, combined player pools.

While winning a bracelet in Pennsylvania might be “easier,” it risks undermining the events’ prestigious status.

For another comparison, consider Ontario, which has a similar ring-fenced player pool and population size. GGPoker, a long-time partner and soon-to-be new owner of WSOP, operates and hosts an online bracelet series in Ontario once a year. This year’s series, which started August 18, features eight events with combined guarantees of CAD $2 million (approximately USD $1.45 million).

In Ontario, the turnout for WSOP online bracelet events is strong and the prize pools are healthy. This is largely because GGPoker Ontario boasts three times more player traffic than WSOP PA. The higher volume of player participation ensures that online bracelets in Ontario maintain their prestige and allure, making it a logical location for hosting these high-profile events.

But the same cannot be said for Pennsylvania.

PA Desperately Needs to Join Multi-State Online Poker Compact

One potential solution for WSOP to address the prestige issue in the Keystone State could be to reduce the number of online bracelets offered in PA, perhaps limiting it to just one or two events. This approach was seen during the second leg of the WSOP 2023 online series which ran during the fall, where 33 bracelet events were held across shared liquidity states, while Pennsylvania and Michigan (which was also ring-fenced at the time) each had only one bracelet event.

This would help maintain the prestige and appeal of WSOP’s gold bracelet events. However, this issue may become moot if Pennsylvania joins the multi-state online poker compact, potentially by next year ahead of the WSOP 2025.

If Pennsylvania were to merge with the existing shared liquidity network, there would no longer be a separate online bracelet series for PA, but rather a common series open to players from Nevada, New Jersey, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.

So the next important question is what is the likelihood of Pennsylvania joining the multi-state online poker compact which would enable WSOP PA to merge with WSOP in New Jersey, Nevada, and Michigan.

HB 2078 Bill — Another Way for PA to Join MSIGA

Earlier this year, PA state Rep. George Dunbar introduced Bill HB 2078, which proposes that Pennsylvania join the multi-state online poker compact which ultimately led to the #GrowPApoker campaign.

This compact, which includes states like Nevada, New Jersey, Michigan, Delaware and West Virginia, (the latter two do not offer online poker) would allow Pennsylvania to merge its player pool with these states, potentially increasing turnout and prize pools for online bracelet events.

However, the bill is currently on hold with no significant progress since its introduction. There were hopes that including HB 2078 in a broader code bill could expedite its passage, but this has not occurred. The two main pathways for Pennsylvania to join MISGA involve either the signing of HB 2078 by Governor Josh Shapiro or an executive order from the governor instructing the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) to request membership in the compact.

While Governor Shapiro is believed to support the bill and might sign it into law, competing priorities, including the upcoming presidential election, may make an executive order a less likely option. This leaves Pennsylvania’s participation in the multi-state compact in a state of uncertainty.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall has taken steps to combat illegal gambling around the state, according to a WIAT local news report.

The Attorney General acted following a raid that confiscated more than 200 gaming machines from six bingo halls in Selma. Marshall said several residents contacted him with complaints regarding suspected illegal activity. Marshall told local news that he and law enforcement are ready to respond when the need arises.

“Gambling is illegal in Alabama, and law enforcement has a role in being able to shut that down”

“We wouldn’t want to speak to any pending investigation that we have but do know that we’re prepared to act when we’re able to be able to determine that there is unlawful activity and be able to move to get the appropriate orders.”

Currently, Alabama as no legal gambling markets. However, the topic of welcoming legal gambling statewide is not off the table. State legislation recently ended its latest session without voting on expanded gambling. The Senate was to consider a bill that would legalize a state lottery, slot machines and video poker.

Lawmakers reached a stalemate on the most recent legal gambling bill after a push to advance the bill fell short by one vote in an earlier session. A passing vote would have allowed Alabama players access to in-person sports betting, as well as to online sports wagering platforms. The bill would have also set up a state lottery and would authorize up to 10 casino locations with slot machines and table games.

Jeff Bezos is reportedly interested in buying the Boston Celtics, the reigning NBA champions who went up for sale shortly after capturing their 18th title.

“In the last few days there’s been some I think legitimate buzz about Jeff Bezos buying the Celtics, and I think it’s real,”

“I think he’s gonna be one of the suitors. Which got me thinking, why would Jeff Bezos, when he’s looking at the Celtics, what is he seeing? What does he want? I think the only way it makes sense—I mean, granted, he has a gajillion dollars—but it’s one of the crown-jewel franchises, right? That’s why you get it.

To him it’d be no different than if he bought this famous, gigantic, $300 million yacht. But I think it’s real that he’s potentially in the mix for this.”

It’s not the first time Bezos has been linked to a team on the market, and it likely won’t be the last. Fans of long-tortured sports franchises have dreamed of Bezos serving as a billionaire in shining armor, riding into town in an expensive car to rescue their cursed team from bad ownership. And owners and leagues would benefit from having the mere mention of Bezos’s infinite pockets drive up bids for their teams, making everyone richer.

The Amazon founder and Washington Post owner is worth roughly $196 billion, according to Forbes, making him the second-richest person on Earth. Sports team valuations have gotten so astronomical that a dwindling number of people—including Bezos—who don’t already own major franchises can afford to buy one outright. Simmons said the NBA wants to see the Celtics sell for $6 billion, which would set a record and raise the payout owners would get from possible expansion franchises. (Commissioner Adam Silver has said expansion is on deck now that the league’s new media rights deals are finalized.)

“They want to get $6 billion apiece,” Simmons said of expansion fees, “which would mean a check of $400 million to every NBA owner.”

In recent years, Bezos has been linked to potentially owning the Washington Commanders and the Seattle Seahawks, two cities in which he has ties. Amazon was founded in Seattle, while Bezos owns the local newspaper in the nation’s capital. But the Commanders were sold to Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils owner Josh Harris for $6 billion. The Financial Times reported Bezos was “simply outbid” by Harris for the Commanders. The Seahawks’ interest started in 2019, but nothing came of it. He has also been linked to the Phoenix Suns, Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Chargers in recent years; those teams were ultimately sold to people other than Jeff Bezos.

Nick Watanabe, a sports management professor at the University of South Carolina, says Bezos’s name will keep coming up if he doesn’t buy the Celtics. “There’s not that many billionaires in the world,” Watanabe tells Front Office Sports.

It’s not even the first-time possible NBA interest from Bezos has been alleged on a Simmons show. Former Knick Charles Oakley said in 2019 that Bezos was interested in purchasing his former team. Two months earlier, Simmons had said Knicks owner Jim Dolan was “courting offers” for the team, which Dolan later denied. Five years later, Dolan still owns the team.