AUSTIN, Texas – The Super Bowl is days away and many people will be making a wager on the big game.

Gov. Greg Abbott sat down with FOX4’s Steven Dial and said he was open to “letting the voters decide” on sports betting.

What they’re saying:

“What I believe about online gaming, it would expand gaming in the state of Texas,” Abbott said. “It requires a constitutional amendment. What I’m in favor of is giving it to the voters and let the voters decide.”

But does a change of opinion on sports betting also mean the governor’s had a change of heart about bringing casinos to the Lone Star State?

“I want to make sure that every mom and pop or grandma or somebody who doesn’t have a lot of income is not able to go down to a local 7-Eleven or convenience store and lose money they need to be spending on food or clothing or other items like that,” Abbott said. “And so, we need to make sure that if there is anything like this that happens, that expands gaming, that we’re not leading people down to a pathway of poverty. So there needs to be some guardrails put on it, even if it is presented to the voters.”

The backstory:

During the last legislative session, Reps. Charlie Geren and Jeff Leach each introduced bills in the house on casinos and online betting that passed with Republican and Democrat support.

The bills died in the Senate. So, could things be different this time?

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said he will not put bills up in the Senate that do not have majority Republican support.

READ MORE: Texas Legislature: School vouchers, cannabis, the border and other key issues this session

As lieutenant governor, Patrick is the head of the Texas Senate and has control of what bills make it to the Senate floor.

What we know:

Legalizing gambling in the state would require a constitutional amendment which would require a two-thirds vote in each chamber before the people could vote on it.

Sen. Carol Alverado (D-Houston) filed Senate Joint Resolution 16 to add an amendment that would “foster economic development and job growth, provide tax relief and funding for education and public safety programs, and reform and support the horse racing industry by authorizing casino gaming at destination resorts, authorizing sports wagering, and creating the Texas Gaming Commission to regulate casino gaming and sports wagering; requiring a license to conduct casino gaming; requiring the imposition of a casino gaming tax, sports wagering tax, and license application fees.”

What we don’t know:

We don’t know what’s leading to the change in Abbott’s position on sports betting and gambling, but the new ownership group for the Dallas Mavericks is big in the casino business and made a large campaign donation to Abbott.

You can watch the full interview with Gov. Greg Abbott after the Super Bowl on Texas: The Issue Is.