Missouri Sees Two Sports Betting Bills Move Forward

Legal sports betting in Missouri is gaining momentum as three bills make their way through the state’s General Assembly this week.

The Emerging Issues Committee of the Missouri House quickly and unanimously advanced bills HB 556 and HB 581 in under five minutes. Additionally, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a related bill, SB 30, but rejected SB 1, which proposed combining sports betting and video lottery terminals (VLTs).

All three bills that progressed would grant Missouri sports betting licenses to the state’s casinos and professional sports teams. Another bill with the same goal of legalizing both retail and online sports betting in Missouri passed the House in 2022, but stalled in the Senate as Sen. Danny Hoskins wanted to include VLTs in the legislation.

Despite the desire of legislators in the Senate Appropriations Committee to separate the issues, Sen. Hoskins sponsored SB 1 this year and made it clear on the Senate floor that he would be obstructionist until VLTs were added to any proposals legalizing sports betting in Missouri.

During the 2022 legislative session, Hoskins filibustered on the floor for three hours, ultimately leading to the demise of the Missouri sports betting bill.

The bills currently making progress are supported by a coalition of Missouri’s six professional sports teams from St. Louis and Kansas City, as well as five of the state’s six casino operators (including Caesars). During a recent Senate hearing, St. Louis Cardinals President Bill DeWitt III expressed strong support for legalizing sports betting in Missouri, noting that neighboring states already have established markets.

Even though there is strong support for the proposed legislation and a recent poll showed that only 32% of Republican primary voters support allowing VLTS, Republican Senator Hoskins could still pose a significant obstacle as one Senator has the authority to halt a bill in Missouri.

What happens if the Missouri sports betting bills pass?

If Sen. Hoskins were to lower his guard, every casino in the state could potentially have three digital skins, and each professional sports team could have one, allowing for a total of up to 39 online sports betting sites to launch.

The state’s riverboat casinos may open retail sportsbooks, but pro sports franchises are prohibited from having retail sportsbooks and an exclusion zone will be enforced around each stadium. A 10% sports betting tax has been established by the legislation, with the majority of funding going towards Missouri’s Education Fund. Additionally, around $500,000 will be allocated to the Compulsive Gamblers Fund.

Missouri legislators have been considering sports betting legislation since 2018, following the repeal of PASPA by the Supreme Court. Rep. Dan Houx, sponsor of HB 556, stated that sports betting was a top issue raised by constituents on both sides during campaign season door-knocking.

One of the most common questions asked during Houx’s campaign was, “Why can’t we legalize sports gambling?” A Republican constituent, Rep. Aaron McMullen, also reported being asked the same question multiple times. It is evident that there is bipartisan support for bringing sports betting to Missouri.

In a league of its own

While all eight states bordering Missouri have legalized sports wagering, Kentucky and Oklahoma are currently in the process of passing bills to allow it. Missourians have been traveling to neighboring states for years to participate in the legal sports betting markets.

Residents of Kansas City can easily access the Kansas sports betting arena just across the border, while those in St. Louis can drive to Illinois to enjoy some of the top sportsbooks in the state’s betting market.

Missouri’s northern neighbor was among the first states to launch its legal marketplace for sports betting in August 2019, followed by Arkansas in March 2022. Missouri is surrounded by states with established legal sports betting markets.

Could this year be the one that brings about change?