Money Plays: Perry Takes More Gambling Money than Most
Our non-friends at Texans Against Gambling told their influential members that they needed to combat big-time casino lobbying dollars supposedly pushing HB 222. However, they don’t tell you who received a lot of those gambling-interest dollars, nor that a some of them were being spent to defeat the bill.
By all means, our good poker friends in Oklahoma have contributed their fair share to keep Texans playing in their Indian nations … but frankly, it’s a very small percentage of the $7.6 million spent on gambling-related Texas politicking in 2007-08 — and they’re not exactly being hypocrites about any of it, save for maybe riding the coattails of those who are.
Amount
|
Recipient (Party) |
Tribe |
|
$35,000
|
Lt. Governor David Dewhurst(R) | Choctaw |
|
$25,000
|
Stars Over Texas PAC(R) | Choctaw |
|
$20,000
|
Lt. Governor David Dewhurst(R) | Chickasaw |
|
$15,000
|
TX Repub. Legislative Caucus(R) | Chickasaw |
|
$10,000
|
Attorney General Greg Abbott(R) | Choctaw |
|
$10,000
|
Sen. Kip Averitt(R) | Choctaw |
|
$10,000
|
Sen. Kim Brimer(R)* | Choctaw |
|
$10,000
|
Rep. Tom Craddick(R) | Chickasaw |
|
$10,000
|
Sen. Bob Deuell(R) | Choctaw |
|
$10,000
|
Sen. Kevin Eltife(R) | Choctaw |
|
$10,000
|
Sen. Chris Harris(R) | Choctaw |
|
$10,000
|
House Dem. Campaign Com.(D) | Chickasaw |
|
$10,000
|
Sen. Jane Nelson(R) | Choctaw |
|
$10,000
|
Sen. Tommy Williams(R) | Choctaw |
Click below for an even more interesting look at the Texas pols who taking the most gambling-industry dollars. I wonder how his morality-minded base feels about Gov. Rick Perry coming in at #2, with nearly $800k in gambling-interest love.
Politicians Receiving the Most Gambling Money
Amount
|
Recipient |
Party |
Office Held
|
Top Gambling
|
|
$851,350
|
David Dewhurst |
R
|
Lt. Governor
|
David Alameel |
|
$793,356
|
Rick Perry |
R
|
Governor
|
Peter Holt |
|
$225,000
|
Joan Huffman |
R
|
S-17
|
Robert McNair |
|
$157,800
|
Susan Combs |
R
|
Comptroller
|
Peter Holt |
|
$155,174
|
Greg Abbott |
R
|
Attorney General
|
David Alameel |
|
$146,935
|
Dan Branch |
R
|
H-108
|
Harlan Crow |
|
$80,300
|
Elizabeth Ames Jones |
R
|
Railroad Com.
|
Peter Holt |
|
$73,250
|
Kim Brimer* |
R
|
S-10
|
Joe LaMantia |
|
$71,100
|
Tom Craddick9 |
R
|
H-82
|
Peter Holt |
|
$66,650
|
Kino Flores |
D
|
H-36
|
TED PAC |
|
$60,055
|
Doug Miller |
R
|
H-73
|
TED PAC |
|
$53,500
|
Joseph Moody |
D
|
H-78
|
TED PAC |
|
$53,018
|
Chris Harris |
R
|
S-9
|
Johnson & Johnson |
|
$52,075
|
Michael Williams |
R
|
Railroad Com.
|
David Alameel |
|
$48,500
|
Charlie Geren |
R
|
H-99
|
TED PAC |
|
$47,650
|
Judith Zaffirini |
D
|
S-21
|
Johnson & Johnson/TED PAC |
|
$45,500
|
John Carona |
R
|
S-16
|
Jack Pratt |
|
$45,250
|
Kip Averitt |
R
|
S-22
|
Choctaw/Johnson & Johnson/TED |
|
$44,000
|
John Whitmire |
D
|
S-15
|
TED PAC |
|
$43,000
|
Kirk Watson |
D
|
S-14
|
TED PAC |
|
$42,750
|
Juan Hinojosa |
D
|
S-20
|
TED PAC |
|
$42,611
|
Carlos Uresti |
D
|
S-19
|
Kickapoo/TED PAC |
|
$42,000
|
Juan Escobar* |
D
|
H-43
|
TED PAC |
|
$40,000
|
Jon Cole* |
R
|
H-67
|
David Alameel/TED PAC |
|
$40,000
|
Pete Gallego |
D
|
H-74
|
Joe LaMantia/TED PAC |
|
$38,750
|
Jim Dunnam |
D
|
H-57
|
Gerald Ford/Joe LaMantia/TED |
|
$38,150
|
Jeff Wentworth |
R
|
S-25
|
TED PAC |
|
$38,000
|
James ‘Mike’ Jackson |
R
|
S-11
|
Robert McNair/TED PAC |
|
$37,900
|
Trey Martinez Fischer |
D
|
H-116
|
Joe LaMantia/TED PAC |
|
$37,200
|
Aaron Pena |
D
|
H-40
|
TED PAC |
|
$35,101
|
Joe Straus III |
R
|
H-121
|
George Hixon |
|
$34,500
|
Rodney Ellis |
D
|
S-13
|
Jack Pratt/TED PAC |
|
$33,851
|
Dawnna Dukes |
D
|
H-46
|
TED PAC |
|
$33,558
|
Bob Romano* |
D
|
H-105
|
North Texas Leadership PAC |
|
$32,000
|
Chris Turner |
D
|
H-96
|
TED PAC |
|
$31,615
|
Abel Herrero |
D
|
H-34
|
TED PAC |
|
$31,300
|
Wendy Davis |
D
|
S-10
|
North Texas Leadership PAC |
|
$30,185
|
Juan Garcia* |
D
|
H-32
|
Anthony LaMantia |
|
$29,500
|
Kel G. Seliger |
R
|
S-31
|
Joe LaMantia |
|
$29,075
|
Wallace Jefferson |
R
|
Supreme Court
|
Harlan Crow/Peter Holt |
|
$28,404
|
Craig Eiland |
D
|
H-23
|
Gerald Ford |
|
$28,250
|
Joe Jaworski* |
D
|
S-11
|
Trammell Crow |
|
$27,850
|
Leticia Van De Putte |
D
|
S-26
|
TED PAC |
|
$27,600
|
Diana Maldonado |
D
|
H-52
|
TED PAC |
|
$27,000
|
Kevin Bailey* |
D
|
H-140
|
TED PAC |
|
$27,000
|
Allen Vaught |
D
|
H-107
|
TED PAC |
|
$26,500
|
Rene Oliveira |
D
|
H-37
|
Jack Pratt |
|
$26,500
|
Kirk England |
D
|
H-106
|
TED PAC |
|
$25,500
|
Tommy Williams |
R
|
S-4
|
Choctaw Nation |
More details about the gambling politi-cash here.
Card Chucker says:
May 10th, 2009 at 1:06am
I should be a politician instead of a poker player. I bet each time some gaming legislature is coming into the House, another politician collects a bad beat jackpot…too bad the citizens of Texas aren’t sitting at the same table to collect a portion of it.
Johnny Hughes says:
May 10th, 2009 at 5:51am
I am willing to wager that these reports are only partial because they do not include the Comanches and the Cherokees. With so many grabbing the Oklahoma money, it is looking a little grim.
We don’t have Indian casinos in Texas because of: barbed wire, (the Devil’s Rope}, windmills, big ranches, the Texas Rangers, the U.S. Calvary, and Col. Randal MacKensie and nuts like him who spent decades killing Indians. Black Hand Mackensie caught sypliss and died in a New York Mental institution. Figures.
scott diamond says:
May 10th, 2009 at 9:26am
This should be in the Houston Chronicle and all the other major newspapers in Texas.
It is time to start showing everyone what these “Elected” officials truly are, egotistical, hypocritical, pathological Liars!!
Putting pressure on Indian gaming to help fight against Poker…
The Guvenator here in california does the same thing with the Indian gaming, only difference here is he supports Poker and On Line Poker and has even said let’s legalize it in CALI so we can get some taxes.
michele says:
May 10th, 2009 at 9:36am
im on the stairmaster at the moment so forgive any ignorance but do you have any numbers on louisiana? in 37 years ive been in OK once
DanM says:
May 10th, 2009 at 11:27am
i couldn’t find any LA numbers, michele … perhaps because their cash comes through big casino corps, not indian lands?
i gotta tell you … i understand (pretty much) how “the system” works … but it’s so damn discouraging right now. and in terms of getting the mainstream media to pay attention to it … that’s a little hard when you’re up against political abuse stories like this:
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?cl=13140642
DanM says:
May 10th, 2009 at 11:38am
i also find it interesting (and encouraging) that jose menendez doesn’t make the list of major gambling money recipients.
Michele Lewis says:
May 11th, 2009 at 12:56pm
I didn’t know that about Jose Menendez but I’m not surprised… he’s a nice guy.
I know LA sends in a bit but the OK Tribes is more. LA probably spends more on UIGEA.
Besides, are you really surprised?
jeff says:
May 11th, 2009 at 2:04pm
I wonder how Peter Holt got on the list . He owns the Spurs and is the largest Caterpillar dealer in Texas.