Everything is bigger in Texas; and that includes small town gossip.
Ever since Mark Cuban bought the sleepy town of Mustang, Texas, in 2021, about 15 minutes from Corsicana and an hour from Dallas, rumors of what the billionaire would do with the 87 acres quickly circulated.
In 2022 Cuban said on the Drew Barrymore show that he may rename the town “Dinosaur,” turning it into a dinosaur animatronic park, but later retracted the statement, claiming there were no plans in place for the town.
In a statement to KWBU, Cuban confirmed he has, “no plans at all,” for Mustang currently.
But even though there is nothing new in the works for Mustang, Cuban’s recent sale of the Dallas Mavericks and announcement that he will no longer appear on, “Shark Tank,” has left the public wondering what his next project will be.
And with the sale of his majority stakes in the Mavericks to Miriam Adelson, the fifth richest woman in the world and whose family built a fortune through the Las Vegas Sands, a casino and gambling company, there has been conversation about the future of gambling in Texas.
Both Cuban and the Adelsons have been outspoken about legalizing the practice in the state. With the pair now working together, it could pave the way for gambling in Texas.
And, Navarro county officials see real potential in bringing that business to Mustang.
H.M. DAVENPORT: “You have a potential for an increase in revenues, tax revenues coming into the county. So I see where it could be beneficial for us in the future.”
H.M. Davenport Jr, the county judge for Navarro county, says that even though he doesn’t particularly enjoy gambling, he sees the economic benefits and opportunity for tourism. Instead of traveling to Oklahoma, Louisiana, or Alabama to reach the nearest Casino, Judge Davenport says Texans could stay closer to home with a casino city in Navarro county.
H.M. DAVENPORT: “If you had something here, if they do finally legalize it, It’ll be another source of getting those same people just to stay here, you know. Come and fill it out. And for businesses to grow around it that might need to grow, like hotels. So I could see that it would be good for the county to have something like that.”
For now, the future of gambling in Texas is unknown and any talk about it is just speculation. So a casino popping up in Mustang, Texas anytime soon is unlikely.
But I decided to check out Mustang for myself, to see if there were any new developments.
As I pull off of 1-45, turn onto a country road and pull into what my map tells me is Mustang, Texas, I’m faced with an empty plot of land with nothing but a few scraps of metal and a mattress.
So, for now, it doesn't look like a casino will be coming to town, at least not anytime soon.
Cuban told KWBU that for now, he will “keep on running the Mavs and have another season of shark tank.” Also adding that he has “3 kids to drive crazy.”
For 103.3 Waco Public Radio, I’m Autumn Jones.
