Las Vegas Sands wanted a casino in Irving and a new bill could make that easier

IRVING – KERA reports that Texas legislators have introduced a bill that could make zoning changes easier. That’s after Las Vegas Sands proposed rezoning a mixed-use development in Irving that would have included casino gaming in its destination resort, pending legalization in Texas. The proposal led to considerable blowback from Irving residents and others opposed to casino gambling. Senate Bill 844 was filed on Jan. 17 by Senator Bryan Hughes. During the Senate Committee on Local Government hearing on Monday, Hughes said the bill was about property rights, the democratic process, and would address obstacles that can come up when a city is making changes to an area’s zoning.

“Right now, changes in zoning can be quickly and significantly disrupted by a small number of property owners, even if some don’t even own the land that would be affected by the change,” Hughes said. The companion to Hughes’ senate bill, House Bill 24, was filed on March 4 by Rep. Angelia Orr and has four joint authors and eight co-authors. Many of the representatives, including Orr, have received campaign contributions from the Texas Sands PAC, which is connected to Las Vegas Sands Corp. Las Vegas Sands has lobbied to legalize gambling in Texas for years and formed the Texas Sands PAC in 2022. HB 24, backed by the Texas Conservative Coalition, would address a housing shortage in Texas, lower homeownership costs, and increase private property rights, Orr said in a statement. “Corporate entities were not consulted in the drafting of this bill, nor was this bill intended to help them,” Rep. Orr said in the statement. Sen. Hughes has also been supported by the Texas Sands PAC, according to campaign finance report filings.