page_title: History of vice in Texas
section_title: Recent times
hierarchical_section_title: History of vice in Texas / Recent times
caption_attribution_description: EDINBURG, Texas – Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol agents seized $3.5 million worth of marijuana over this past weekend. Seen here is a seized vehicle loaded with bundles of marijuana. Photo provided by: U.S. Customs and Border Protection
context_page_description: The history of vice in the U.S. state of Texas has been an important part of the state's past and has greatly influenced its development. Vice activities, such as gambling and prostitution, have historically been a significant facet of both the state's culture and its economy.
  Law enforcement organizations have traditionally defined vice as including prostitution, gambling, alcohol and narcotics, and pornography. These activities, though always controversial, represented major influences in the state with some enterprises at times holding legendary status. The legal status of the individual activities has fluctuated substantially over time. Additionally during some periods individual communities and public officials have been accepting of many of these activities, even when they were illegal, because of corruption, because the activities were seen as inevitable, or often because the activities were economically important.
  Though these vices have existed throughout the state's history, their prevalence has varied greatly over time.
context_section_description: By the mid-20th century, most major vice activities were being actively targeted by law enforcement in the state. Though alcohol sale and consumption was legalized, in many areas it was still substantially restricted and, even today, some counties in the state remain dry or retain significant restrictions. Most other activities went underground and have remained largely hidden. In 1969, major legislation was enacted directed at alcohol and narcotics. The Implied Consent law was passed requiring that drivers agree to breath tests when arrested for suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Statutes against narcotics were strengthened giving police and prosecutors more ability to target offenders.
  Prostitution, which once was largely a cottage industry run by madams, has increasingly become run by pimps and figures who engage in white slavery and other abusive practices. Regulation of prostitution for health standards and for protection of the workers has become virtually non-existent.
  Narcotics have become an increasingly serious issue nationwide with Texas becoming an important port of entry resulting from its proximity to Mexico. Illegal drugs shipped through the state supply a large portion of the nation stretching from the Midwest to the Southeast. In the 1980s the seriousness of the problem led to the Texas National Guard adding drug law enforcement to its duties to supplement the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Texas Department of Public Safety.
  Two of the biggest narcotics enterprises affecting Texas are the Sinaloa and Juárez Cartels, though the Juárez Cartel has weakened since the late 1990s. As of 2008 DEA authorities regularly seize shipments of drug proceeds en route to Mexico that can amount to millions of dollars at a time. Apart from the direct problems associated with narcotics, drug-related violence throughout the state has become an increasingly serious issue.
  The later 20th century saw a relaxing of national sentiments against gambling. In 1987, Texas voters in a referendum chose to allow parimutuel wagering within the state. In 1991, voters approved a constitutional amendment authorizing a state lottery, which began operation in 1992. The Texas Lottery rapidly became one of the largest in the nation; it joined the Mega Millions consortium in 2003 and Powerball in 2010. In 1987, the U.S. Supreme Court recognized the right of Native American tribes to establish gambling parlors within their jurisdiction. In 1993, the Tigua tribe opened a casino in El Paso, despite the objections of the governor's office. It became the subject of major court battles before being shut down. In 1996, the Kickapoo tribe opened a casino in Eagle Pass near the Mexico border. Until recently it was the only casino legally recognized by the state though others are today open as well. Changes to state laws in the late 1980s made it possible for gambling cruise ships to come to Texas ports. They are today a regular facet of tourism in Texas.
  In contrast to some other parts of the country, society in Texas has shunned most memories of the vice dens and vice leaders of the early twentieth century. While nineteenth century figures such as Roy Bean and Doc Holliday are celebrated icons of the Old West, later business leaders such as the Maceos and Benny Binion are mostly unknown by the general public, in contrast to, for example, Chicago's Al Capone and New York's Carlo Gambino.
caption: 2015 Border Patrol seizure of cannabis in the Rio Grande Valley
exif: {"Image ImageWidth": "640", "Image ImageLength": "480", "Image BitsPerSample": "[8, 8, 8]", "Image PhotometricInterpretation": "2", "Image Make": "Apple", "Image Model": "iPhone 5s", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image SamplesPerPixel": "3", "Image XResolution": "300", "Image YResolution": "300", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop CS6 (Windows)", "Image DateTime": "2015:03:12 08:25:18", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Centered", "Image ExifOffset": "296", "GPS GPSLatitudeRef": "N", "GPS GPSLatitude": "[26, 22, 1013/50]", "GPS GPSLongitudeRef": "W", "GPS GPSLongitude": "[98, 50, 1487/100]", "GPS GPSAltitudeRef": "0", "GPS GPSAltitude": "12477/215", "GPS GPSTimeStamp": "[14, 28, 35]", "GPS GPSSpeedRef": "K", "GPS GPSSpeed": "0", "GPS GPSImgDirectionRef": "T", "GPS GPSImgDirection": "80469/488", "GPS GPSDestBearingRef": "T", "GPS GPSDestBearing": "23108/67", "GPS GPSDate": "2015:03:06", "Image GPSInfo": "864", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "1250", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "6457", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/120", "EXIF FNumber": "11/5", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Program Normal", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "64", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0221", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2015:03:06 08:28:38", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2015:03:06 08:28:38", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "9488/1373", "EXIF ApertureValue": "7892/3469", "EXIF BrightnessValue": "1694/323", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "83/20", "EXIF SubjectArea": "[1631, 1223, 1795, 1077]", "EXIF SubSecTimeOriginal": "195", "EXIF SubSecTimeDigitized": "195", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "2667", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "2000", "EXIF SensingMethod": "One-chip color area", "EXIF SceneType": "Directly Photographed", "EXIF CustomRendered": "4", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF FocalLengthIn35mmFilm": "29", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF LensSpecification": "[83/20, 83/20, 11/5, 11/5]", "EXIF LensMake": "Apple", "EXIF LensModel": "iPhone 5s back camera 4.15mm f/2.2"}