Early-Morning Missouri Senate Sports Betting Discussions Strike Out

• The Missouri Senate took up sports betting after midnight
• Sen. Denny Hoskins proposed a standalone sports betting bill with no video lottery terminals
• The bill was met with resistance and ultimately taken off the table

While most of us were sleeping, the Missouri Senate delved back into Missouri sports betting in the early morning and debated a new standalone piece of legislation.

A standalone sports betting bill was brought to the floor by Sen. Denny Hoskins (R-21) well after midnight. The piece of legislation did not include video lottery terminals (VLTs), a controversial piece of the bill that Hoskins filibustered for just over a week ago, and earmarked sports betting tax revenues to fund Veterans homes and education in the state.

The bill was discussed for a little over an hour without a vote before Hoskins ultimately withdrew the legislation.

Missouri Sports Betting Bill Withdrawn Despite VLT Absence

Missouri lawmakers now have little more than a week to reach a compromise on legalizing sports betting in person and on Missouri betting apps before the legislative session ends on May 13.

Hoskins spoke with Sports Betting Dime yesterday afternoon and said he was negotiating a standalone sports betting bill that would remove the controversial VLT element from the legislation. He said a law would likely not be approved if it included the lottery machines, even if it would bring in more revenue for the state.

“Ideally, I’d love to have VLTs in this bill, but I also realize that there are people out there who just want a standalone sports betting bill,” he said on his decision to strip VLTs out of his legislation.

He modeled his bill after Illinois’ sports betting plan, increasing the proposed sports betting tax rate from 10% to 15% in the document.

Hoskins expressed regret that a compromise couldn’t be reached on his Twitter page early in the morning, but did not close the door on sports betting’s passage before the session ends on May 13.

I tried to pass a stand alone Sportsbook bill tonight, unfortunately I ran into some resistance. But I’ll keep working toward a compromise bill that provides funding for our veterans & education! #moleg @PeteMundo @AlexGold @610SportsKC @sports_handle @Chiefs @Royals @Cardinals https://t.co/yilCHPJiFv

— Senator Denny Hoskins, CPA (@DLHoskins) May 5, 2022

Missouri casinos previously brought up concerns over the inclusion of VLTs in any sports betting bill, as the video lottery gaming terminals would be installed in fraternal clubs, social clubs, and truck stops. Sen. Mike Bernskoetter, (R-59) introduced an amendment during the April 27 Senate hearing to strip the original bill of VLTs.

Same Missouri Sports Betting Bill Framework

Despite the changes, the framework of the sports betting bill brought to the floor last night largely remained the same. The bill called for the legalization of retail and online sports betting in Missouri casinos. It allowed for 39 separate sportsbook skins to be distributed amongst the state’s 13 casinos and six professional sports organizations.

The bill would allow each casino to offer a maximum of three skins, but will cap the number of skins per casino company at six if they own two or more facilities. The remaining skins will be allocated to Missouri professional sports franchises.

The breakdown for skins will be as such:

• Affinity Gaming: Six skins
• Boyd Gaming: Six skins
• Caesars Entertainment: Six skins
• Century Casinos: Six skins
• Penn National Gaming: Six skins
• Bally’s Corporation: Three skins
• Missouri professional sports franchises (6): One skin each