The gambling empire Las Vegas Sands is pressing forward with its ambitious drive to bring casinos to Texas after a series of recent developments, including the death of its CEO, Republican megadonor Sheldon Adelson, have called into question how much momentum remains behind the cause.

The company made waves in Austin late last year as it built a high-powered lobby team and made clear it saw Texas as its next big expansion opportunity — “the biggest plum still waiting” in the industry. But since then, Comptroller Glenn Hegar released a fiscal forecast for the state that was much better than expected, quieting what had been mounting conversations about how gambling could be a new tax revenue source for the state. Then came the death of Adelson, the famous chairman, founder and CEO of Las Vegas Sands. And then the new state House speaker, Dade Phelan, delivered his first public assessment of the push, saying casinos needed to be treated as a “long-term commitment” and not a short-term panacea for the state’s fiscal challenges.