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Democratic victories in the 2026 midterm elections removed several prominent Republican opponents of gambling expansion, according to Covers’ Nov. 4 analysis. In Texas, Dan Patrick’s loss removed a major obstacle to legal betting, the outlet reported.
The results come amid resistance to further gambling expansion in some states. Missouri voters approved sports betting in 2024, but Nebraska voters rejected statewide mobile wagering in this election.
Texas result removes an opponent of legal betting
Covers identified Patrick’s defeat as a significant change for the gambling debate in Texas, the nation’s second-most-populous state. However, the outlet noted that Democrats remain divided on gambling expansion, limiting what a change in political leadership alone can establish about future legislation.
More broadly, fewer statehouses seriously considered gambling expansion during the 2026 legislative season, according to Covers.
Nebraska voters reject mobile sports betting
Nebraska voters rejected statewide mobile sports betting by 10 percentage points. Six years earlier, voters there had backed commercial casinos and in-person sportsbooks by nearly two-to-one, Covers reported.
The result contrasts with the earlier expansion of legal sports betting. Between 2018 and 2023, voters in four states overwhelmingly supported legalization, while more than two dozen other states passed bills authorizing retail or online sports betting.
Resistance has also reached states with legal wagering. Ohio this year became the first state to introduce legislation that would repeal legal online sports betting, according to Covers.
Prediction markets face state-level scrutiny
Covers reported that Democratic gains in Texas, Georgia and Minnesota could lead to greater state scrutiny of prediction markets. Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party gains could strengthen a legislature that had already been the first to attempt to ban those markets.
The Trump administration has aggressively supported prediction markets, while about 20 states have been involved in related legal challenges, according to Covers.
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Source: As reported by Covers.
This article was created with the assistance of AI and is monitored by our editorial team.
