Voters Reject Proposal to Restore Gambling at Texas Island Resort

Voters in a straw poll Saturday said no by a 3-2 margin to a proposal to bring gambling back to this island, where casinos once flourished.

Supporters hoped a favorable vote in the non-binding referendum would persuade the Texas Legislature to pass legislation enabling legalized gambling. Proponents lost similar referendums in 1984 and 1987.

Late Saturday, unofficial returns from all 14 precincts showed 7,368 or 59.3% voted against legalized casino gambling to 5,062, or 40.7% in favor.

Both backers and opponents of gambling had predicted a close vote on the referendum, which was called after a pro-gambling group gathered enough petition signatures.

“There’s no way this is going to be a blowout for either side,” said Steve Long, coordinator for Galvestonians Against Casino Gambling. “This is the closest it’s ever been. But I’ll say we’ll end up with 54% of the vote.”

The referendum asked voters to approve a gambling district in Galveston that backers say would include four casino hotels with at least 500 rooms each.

If such a measure passed the Legislature, Galveston voters would have to pass the proposal again in a binding local option vote.

A week before Saturday’s voting, proponents already had spent more than $100,000, while anti-casino forces listed expenditures of nearly $70,000.

In 1984, the proposal attracted a record voter turnout of more than 12,600 people, but it lost by a 2-1 margin. Last year’s attempt, which again drew more than 12,000 voters, fell by a 3-2 edge.

Pro-gambling forces estimated that casino taxes would raise millions for the state and city and that casinos would create 20,000 new jobs in Galveston.

But opponents, including Mayor Jan Coggeshall and local police, contended that only developers and casino operators would benefit from gambling. They said small businesses and others who refused to live in a casino town would be driven out of the city. They also worried that approval of the measure would wipe out prolonged efforts promoting Galveston as a family resort.