Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday that he now supports online sports gambling.

During the Houston Chronicle’s, Texas Take Podcast, Abbott said, “I don’t have a problem with online sports betting. The reality is that I’d be shocked if there were not some Texans that do it already.”

It is the first time he has said he supports any type of legalized gambling in Texas.

“It’s encouraging. We’ve seen people over the last couple of sessions evolve and be open and supportive of it,” State Sen. Carol Alvarado told ABC13.

The governor’s comments come after a blockbuster NBA trade that rocked the sports world over the weekend and sent superstar Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Mavericks are owned by the family that runs the Las Vegas Sands Casino company. Sports betting has become intertwined with professional sports and many fans are speculating about the timing of Abbott’s comment.

Alvarado, a Houston Democrat, believes it’s progress.

“We’ll build on it. We’ll continue to talk about it. I’ll continue to file gaming legislation,” said Alvarado who has been pushing for sports betting and casinos to become legal in Texas since 2009. “This is about diversifying our economy. Making Texas a destination place with conferences and conventions but also for people to vacation to.”

Her proposal would limit the number of resort casinos and facilities in the state to just a handful, but first, the legislature would need to amend the constitution, which would require a two-thirds vote of both chambers and a vote of the people. Last session, a similar bill never made it to the Senate.

So far, Abbott has said he supports only online sports betting. Alvarado said casino gambling is still an uphill battle with powerful opponents.

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