The owner of the Dallas Cowboys franchise of the National Football League (NFL), Jerry Jones (pictured), has reportedly thrown his considerable influence behind efforts to bring legalized sportsbetting to Texas.
According to a Monday report from The Dallas Morning News newspaper, the 78-year-old asserted that he can see a day soon when sports wagering will be legalized in ‘The Lone Star State’ and that such activities could well help his NFL franchise to increase the enjoyment of its fans. The source detailed that the billionaire businessman was speaking following the filing of bipartisan legislation last spring that may result in sportsbetting being brought to the over 29 million inhabitants of Texas by as soon as the end of next year.
Tribal try:
Not adverse to pioneering ventures, Jones reportedly inked a deal in September of 2018 that saw the five-time Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys partner with the 1,400-room WinStar World Casino and Resort in the neighboring state of Oklahoma. This first-of-its-kind alliance purportedly allows the property owned by the federally-recognized Chickasaw Nation to utilize the storied American football franchise’s logo and name in its promotions and advertising.
Entertainment evolution:
A member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Jones was reportedly moreover a leading light in a campaign the very next year that saw NFL owners unanimously vote to allow their individual franchises to ink analogous partnerships with state lotteries. This had all purportedly been prefaced by a 2015 arrangement in which the former college football standout partnered with his compatriot at the New England Patriots, Robert Kraft, to purchase a significant stake in American online sportsbetting operator DraftKings Incorporated.
Jones reportedly stated…
“I certainly know that gambling as it pertains to our games is here. Frankly, it’s been here and, yes, I do see gambling being a common thing as the handwriting is on the wall. Gambling has been here a long time.”
Considerable coalition:
The Dallas Morning News reported that the Dallas Cowboys is additionally one of the twelve Texas professional sports teams that recently joined forces in order to establish The Sports Betting Alliance organization to push for the legalization of sportsbetting. This group, which also features the Dallas Stars franchise of the National Hockey League (NHL) as well as Major League Baseball’s Houston Astros and Texas Rangers, has partnered with FanDuel Group, DraftKings Incorporated and the BetMGM service from MGM Resorts International and British iGaming behemoth Entain to back legislation that would allow the local electorate to vote on whether to undo the giant state’s current ban on all forms of sports wagering.
Bountiful benefits:
Jones’ only daughter, Charlotte, serves as the Executive Vice-President and Chief Brand Officer for the Dallas Cowboys and she reportedly told the newspaper that ‘unregulated and illegal sports gambling is already taking place in the state of Texas.’ However, the 54-year-old purportedly pronounced that legalizing such activities would allow for better regulation and ‘generate hundreds of millions of dollars of new revenues’ that could be used to ‘help fund critical programs without raising taxes.’
