At least $80,250 -- Includes 1995 and 1996 campaign contributions

June 9, 1997

The Lone Star State has charitable bingo, pari-mutuel betting at horse and greyhound tracks, and a state lottery embroiled in a federal grand jury investigation involving the ubiquitous lotto contractor GTECH. Texas also has a surprising 110 registered lobbyists working for gambling interests -- that's one for every 1.6 legislators in Austin.

The Texas Ethics Commission keeps records of campaign contributions, but they're only available on paper, at a cost of 10 cents per page. Lobbyists are required to report their income, but only in broad ranges like "$10,000.00 to $24,999.99," making an accurate tally difficult. This lobbying information, as well as the lobbyists' name, category (check "gambling"), and client, is available on the Ethics Commission's Web site, but it requires some digging to find much information of use.

A Mother Jones search of 956 PACs and other "general-purpose committees" and their total contributions in 1995 and 1996 turned up just one gambling-related figure: $80,250 from the Texas Thoroughbred Breeders' Association PAC.

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