Documents exclusively obtained by The Dallas Express reveal that the Las Vegas Sands Corporation and its affiliates are spending substantial sums of money to give the impression of public support.
Paid Support: Recruited by Text, Promised $250 Payment
Messages DX obtained showed that at least some of the pro-casino protestors who attended a meeting of the Irving Planning & Zoning Committee were recruited by text and promised a $250 payment for their attendance contingent on signing a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with Echo Canyon Consulting (ECC) LLC.
The ‘Purpose Section’ of the NDA states: “ECC and its affiliated companies… provides business consulting, government affairs, public affairs, voter contact and grassroots advocate services, including door-to-door canvassing, phone-banking, sign set-up and delivery, signature gathering and validation, tracking and blocking, political data, and strategy services (the”Business”). It operates in an industry in which confidential information and client goodwill are critically important.”
Numerous consultants tied to pro-casino efforts in Texas attended the Planning & Zoning Committee meeting. Treasurer Spencer Davis of the Texas Defense PAC, a political action committee and client of Echo Canyon Consulting, was present.
Randle Meadows and Justin Epker from Murphy Nasica, a political consulting firm with a history of working with Sands-supported candidates for elected office in Texas, were also in attendance.
Meadows was one of the only pro-casino speakers to address the committee during the 9-hour hearing. He initially did not offer his address, but after some pushback from the committee, he said that he had forgotten to give the information and he was from “600 East John Carpenter Freeway.”
However, this address is for an office building, not a residence. A search on Lexis Nexis indicated Meadows’ residence is in Fort Worth.
Meadows said that his experience as a former law enforcement officer indicated that there would not be a huge uptick in crime if casino gambling was legalized. He then espoused an argument previously used by a Sands representative that Texas has the largest illegal gaming market in the country and that legalizing gaming would help regulate the market.
Pro-casino Signs Held by Alleged ‘Protestors’ Paid for by Las Vegas Sands Corp
The bottom of signs pro-casino protestors carried had a small “Paid for by Las Vegas Sands Corp” disclosure. The signs also carried pro-casino slogans such as “VOTE Yes for Jobs! Yes for Growth!”
City Councilman Luis Canosa told DX that he was suspicious of the authenticity of the protestors. After conversing with several for a while, he says that some of the protestors were not fully aware of what they would be protesting for until they arrived at the time specified in their recruitment texts. Canosa says that he asked one of the protestors if he would be willing to doorknock against the casinos, and the protestor agreed.
Mysterious Texts
This comes just days after a series of mysterious text messages were sent to Irving residents, trying to sway their votes and gauge their political temperature.
The first text went out on March 12. It came from a phone number with an Austin area code and included a flyer that read, “THE FUTURE OF IRVING IS ON THE LINE. Will Our City Say Yes to Jobs & Growth? The city of Irving has the opportunity to bring tens of thousands of jobs and billions in new investment to our community. Paid for by Las Vegas Sands Corp.”
The text urged recipients to attend the March 14 Town Hall on the proposed casino development. DX attended this event and reported that over 100 protestors opposed the casino and had little grassroots support in favor.
The second text went out the following day, March 13. It purported to be from “Clear Insights,” a research data firm. It included a survey that asked various politically oriented questions, such as the respondents’ feelings about bond measures, the Irving Fireman’s Union, the Families for Irving political group, and the Las Vegas Sands Corporation.
Whose Voice Counts? Public, Politicians, or Those With The Deepest Pockets?
The public was informed in late February that the City Council would vote on rezoning certain tracks of land near the former Dallas Cowboys Stadium for casino gaming on March 20.
DX has reported that each public hearing on this matter has resulted in demonstrations of overwhelming public opposition.
Some residents have objected to the project on the grounds that it could increase crime, others have raised concerns about addiction, and still more have argued that the promises surrounding this plan resemble those made in favor of legalizing a lottery in the early 1990s—which opponents say did not bring the support to public schools that they were told.
Proponents such as the Sands-supported Texas Destination Resort Alliance say casinos would benefit the city and state economically.
The TDSA website states, “Revenue raised from these new sites could provide funding for public education and public higher education, for the arts as well as for public safety and law enforcement.”
The website also states, “Each new project would create thousands of construction jobs, and tens of thousands of permanent new jobs in new and existing hotels, convention centers, restaurants, retail centers, and offices.”
Should the council approve the rezoning, it will be the first step in a multi-step process that could bring casinos to DFW. The next step would be to change state casino gaming laws, which require an amendment to Texas’s constitution and the approval of a majority of voters on a statewide ballot. Enabling legislation that sets the terms of gaming in the state and oversight from the state gaming commission would also be needed.
DX contacted Echo Canyon for comment on the NDA and the apparent payments to pro-casino protestors but did not immediately return comment.