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Randy Galloway: Kickapoo Tribe opposes historical horse racing machines

I did ask this question of local and statewide Tea Party politicians who are strongly against historic racing machines:

Have you ever taken contributions from casinos or racetracks who don’t want Texas tracks to have the machines?

Only one, Matt Krause, a local state representative, had the guts to answer. Thank you, Matt. Yes, Krause took $5,000 from the small-time but money-flowing Kickapoo Casino in Eagle Pass, the state’s only casino.

The Kickapoo tribe is strongly fighting the racing machines, and so is a man named Tilman Fertitta, a Texan who owns the Gold Nugget casino in Lake Charles, La.

What follows is a rundown of money from Fertitta and the Kickapoos given to our state’s politicians. This comes courtesy of followthemoney.org, and it’s only a drop in the bucket from the ongoing money flow to fight horse racing in Texas.

Plus, if you ever wondered why the casino issue in Texas can’t come up for a public vote, read the following:

Dan Patrick, the Lt. Governor and very anti-horse racing and anti-casino: $110,000 from the Kickapoos, $22,000 from Locke Lord, the lobby for Mr. Fertitta and $128,000 from Fertitta himself.