There is a proposal to broadly expand gambling in Texas and authorize casinos on the state’s three Indian reservations — presumably, Class 3 casinos where players play against the house and not each other — and it would put video lottery terminals in the state’s ailing horse and dog tracks.

It looks like licenses are cropping up everywhere, what is going on?

Unlike earlier proposals, this plan teams up Indian reservations, horse- and dog-track interests and full-blown casino developers, interests that have been competitors in the past — always unsuccessful ones. According to proponents, the whole package will generate $1.6 billion annually for the state, money they envision spending on college tuitions, which have been skyrocketing since they were deregulated, and children’s health insurance in a state that leads the nation in uninsured kids. Good deeds at least…