The Texas Regulatory Efficiency Office (TREO) has issued a draft regulatory review recommending the amendment or repeal of 26 rules within the Texas Racing Commission (TXRC). According to the project draft, the proposed revisions will remove 6,480 obsolete words from the state’s sports wagering and track management codes.
This administrative modernization is projected to generate between $171,104 and $406,729 in annual economic savings by removing friction from daily racetrack operations.
The comprehensive evaluation was powered by Vulcan Technologies, whose advanced technology platform automated the processing and redlining of the agency’s 551 total rules. By trimming redundant text and establishing modern compliance pathways, state officials intend to decrease compliance overhead for occupational licensees and racetrack operators without rolling back mandatory state safety or animal welfare oversight.
The core of the projected financial savings involves updating the state’s daily regulatory environment through modern technology. The draft replaces legacy mandates for hard-wired telephone extensions and two-way radios with technology-neutral communication standards.
Racetrack operators would have the flexibility to utilize digital, cellular, or other commission-approved communication technologies across secure track areas, including the stewards’ stands, test barns, and finish lines. The update would amends 16 TAC §311.5 to formally authorize electronic funds transfers and other modern electronic payment options for licensing and permit fees, eliminating the mandatory transaction friction previously caused by requiring cashiers’ checks or money orders.
The proposal also introduces workflow improvements for the state’s approximately 3,500 annual occupational licensees, such as jockeys, trainers, grooms, and track veterinarians. Under the updated framework, the state would establish an interstate reciprocity pathway. This allows the commission to issue a Texas occupational license to any applicant holding an equivalent license in good standing from another racing jurisdiction, provided the out-of-state criteria match Texas benchmarks.
By shifting to a streamlined license-verification process rather than a full, independent review, the state can mitigate processing delays that historically prevented circuit professionals from participating in opening days.
Another major component of the rule cleanup involves purging obsolete text related to greyhound racing, which has been inactive in Texas since 2020. The draft systematically strikes out greyhound-specific definitions, specialized breeding farm standards, and multi-year kennel licenses across multiple chapters. It also repeals inactive greyhound wagering categories, such as the Twin Trifecta and Tri-Superfecta pools, ensuring the commission’s rulebook focuses entirely on active sectors.
To further simplify the administrative code, the review replaces extensive, word-for-word statutory restatements with clean cross-references to the Texas Occupations Code. For instance, rules governing the commission’s power of entry, employee financial restrictions, and document certifications are pared down to directly cite underlying state laws. Similarly, the proposal eliminates a rule requiring a physical description of the official commission seal, since it represents a purely permissive authority rather than a legislative mandate.
While many of these administrative modernizations can be advanced directly by the commission, broader efficiency goals will ultimately require the Texas Legislature to take action to codify the legal flexibilities and structural updates outlined in the report.