Texas is the latest US state to consider legalising casinos and using the tax revenues to help deal with its budget deficit.
Texas House Appropriations chairman Jim Pitts, a Republican, said that legal casinos could bring in $1bn in the next two-year budget period and $4bn annually in the future.
The Texas Legislature meets every other year, with 2011 hosting the next scheduled session. Casinos would require a two-thirds majority in the Legislature in addition to majority approval in a voter referendum.
Kentucky, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Illinois and Maryland have also considered gaming expansion this year with varying degrees of success. Casinos in Kansas and Ohio are expected to open over the next few years.
