The Kansas City Chiefs are Super Bowl Champions, the St. Louis Blues’ hockey season is ongoing, and both baseball and soccer seasons are on the horizon. But right now, Missourians can’t place bets on any of their teams or sports of choice, with sports betting still illegal in the state.
A 2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling and online sportsbooks’ subsequent rise to prominence have cemented betting within the world of sports like never before — bringing parlays and thousand-dollar gambles outside of the walls of casinos and permeating advertising, broadcasts and social media. State legislatures across the United States, including several of Missouri’s direct neighbors, have hurried to legalize the practice.
It hasn’t been quite as easy for lawmakers in Missouri. Proponents of legalizing sports betting have introduced bills on the topic for the past several years, but they’ve all failed to make it to the governor’s desk — to the frustration of many lawmakers, constituents and lobbyists alike.
Here’s what you need to know about how sports betting is progressing (or not progressing) through Missouri’s state legislature, and what it means for sports fans interested in putting some cash on the next game.
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Is sports betting legal in Missouri yet?
No.
For Missouri to legalize sports betting, a bill changing the state’s laws needs to be approved by both the House and Senate and then sent to the governor and signed into law. Right now the legislature is in the midst of their annual session in Jefferson City, and there are multiple proposals moving through both chambers. But there’s still significant progress that needs to be made before any of them becomes law.
More than half of the states in the U.S. have legalized sports betting — but most relevant to the Show-Me State are its direct neighbors that have done so. It’s legal in Iowa, Illinois, Arkansas and archrival of Kansas — meaning if bettors want to put down some cash on a Sunday NFL slate or bet the over/under in an NBA matchup, they can head across state lines in any direction but southwest and do so.
When can I expect sports betting to be legalized in Missouri?
That depends on how strong of a push the legislature makes.
The General Assembly’s annual session ends in early May, after which all bills introduced, debated and advanced are tossed until refiled again the next year.
Gov. Mike Parson could choose to call the legislature back for a special session later this year, but he’s unlikely to do so — at least just for sports betting. Parson has been fairly agnostic on the topic, and when asked last year to expand a special session on taxes to include sports betting, he declined to do so.
That means the legislature has about two months, accounting for their week-long mid-session break, to negotiate and advance a bill through. But that’s likely easier said than done.
Where do bills legalizing sports betting in Missouri stand right now?
As of late February, there appear to be two sports betting bills with momentum.
One of them is Senate Bill 30, sponsored by Parkville Republican Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer. The other is House Bill 556, from Republican Rep. Dan Houx of Warrensburg.
The two bills are almost exactly the same, the result of several years’ worth of negotiations among lobbyists and lawmakers. Here’s a summary:
- Licensed sports betting applicants will be able to apply to the Missouri Gaming Commission to conduct sports betting, either physically at a casino location or over the internet. (The vast majority of modern sports betting happens online, through mobile apps and sportsbooks);
- Sports bets would be taxed at a rate of 10%. (The tax rate elsewhere varies by state, generally falling within the 8-15% range);
- Those under age 21 would not be allowed to make bets, and advertisements would not be allowed to target minors.
Both bills have been approved by committee as of late February. The next step for them is to be debated on the floor of the House and Senate, after which two rounds of voting are required. If one of the bills is passed by a chamber, it must go through the other chamber as well. If that bill is unchanged and passes through the other chamber successfully, it gets sent to the governor’s desk to be signed into law.
What’s the holdup on those sports betting bills?
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are enthusiastic about passing a sports betting bill. So what’s stopping them? The Senate — specifically one senator, as well as interest groups that aim to attach another gambling-adjacent issue to the bill.
Sen. Denny Hoskins, a Warrensburg Republican, has repeatedly sought to pass legislation alongside sports betting that would regulate “video lottery terminal” machines — which are stationed throughout gas stations and truck stops in Missouri and currently operate illegally.
Hoskins argues the machines’ regulation would bring a significant amount of additional revenue to the state — but many other lawmakers aren’t as interested in the issue. As a result, the Senate committee charged with sports betting bills voted down Hoskins’ version, which included language regulating VLTs, and advanced Luetkemeyer’s, which does not include that language.
Because of the structure and procedure of the Senate, one upset member can throw a wrench in the best-laid plans. Hoskins demonstrated this past week — he stood on the floor for several hours after his bill was voted down, holding up all action on the floor in protest.
It’s difficult for one senator alone to filibuster. But if Hoskins opts to, he could slow down the process of legalizing sports betting, or stop it entirely.
Galen Bacharier covers Missouri politics & government for the News-Leader. Contact him at gbacharier@news-leader.com or on Twitter @galenbacharier.
