After Texans embraced Democrats for the first time in decades during the 2026 midterms, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones sees a fresh opening for legislation he has long supported.
Jones voiced support for legalizing sports gambling during his weekly Friday interview on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, the Cowboys' flagship radio station. He has pushed for the change before but suggested turnover in the Legislature and governor's office could help make it happen.
"It is a plus in my mind with the best place in the world for sports, Texas, for us to have the gaming and hopefully the new turnover, you might say, in the politics will see it that way," he said.
Texas is one of 11 states that completely ban sports gambling. In 2024, Jones said Texas was losing "huge amounts of revenue" by not legalizing sports betting. In 2021, he said he believed gambling could eventually become common in Texas.
But Jones emphasized that his optimism about legalization is rooted in what he believes would benefit the Cowboys, not in the political parties involved.
"I'm really apolitical. I really can't afford to be a party because our fans are all parties," Jones said. "When I have something that will help the Cowboys, then I'm all in. But it's all about the Cowboys."
Before Tuesday's election, Jones donated $250,000 to a Ken Paxton joint fundraising committee. He also recently donated $10 million to the Clinton Foundation.
"I do everything that I can possibly do to make the Cowboys interesting, entertaining, have fans come to the stadium, have people watch us on television," he added. "That's my 99 and nine-tenths percent reason for doing anything."
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This article originally published at Jerry Jones sees new opening for legal sports betting in Texas .
