Missouri Sports Betting Hopes Dead Yet Again

• Despite promising start, Missouri legislators did not legalize sports betting
• Several bills were approved, but nothing got past the Missouri Senate
• Sports betting discussions likely to continue in 2024

Missouri sports betting hopes were shot out of a cannon and ended up being smashed into a brick wall head first.

Sports betting discussions are again dead in Missouri for 2023, as the Senate did not address the legislation on the final day of the legislative session last week.

What was such a promising start for sports betting legislation ended in abrupt disappointment, as has been tradition in the Show Me state for the last five years.

What Happened in Missouri?

The Missouri Senate did not discuss sports betting during its final day of business on Friday, May 12. Earlier in the week, Rep. Dan Houx  (R-54) successfully submitted a sports betting amendment to a Senate tax and economic development bill that was approved by the House of Representatives and sent to the Senate for concurrence.

The amended bill? It was a tax and economic development bill authored by Sen. Denny Hoskins (R-21), one of the largest proponents standing in front of legalized Missouri sports betting.

It was an interesting tactic from Houx, tacking his sports betting amendment to Hoskin’s bill. Would Hoskins allow his bill to die in favor of destroying sports betting as well? That turned out to be the case, as Hoskins’ bill was called to the Senate floor last week but the lawmaker laid the bill over, successfully dashing sports betting hopes for the state into a fine paste yet again.

Despite laying his bill over, Hoskins previously told Sports Betting Dime that he believed the amendment was unconstitutional.

“Bill DeWitt, President of the St. Louis Cardinals, and the bill sponsor (Houx) have both publicly said they believe sportsbook should pass on its own and they don’t believe other gaming legislation fits on a sportsbook only bill. I’m sure they would agree with me that sportsbook legislation also doesn’t fit in bills relating to bringing more jobs and economic development to rural Missouri, which is the underlying bill, SB 92,” Hoskins told Sports Betting Dime.

Hoskins had alluded to blocking any sports betting legislation in the state that did not also include the legalization of video lottery terminals (VLTs)

Typical End for the State

Houx’s amendment was a last gasp effort for Missouri sports betting after months of expectations.

At least three bills were floated this year to legalize sports betting, two even pre-filed in December before the January 2023 of the state’s legislative session. Hoskins and Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer (R-34) both pre-filed sports betting bills in December.

Hoskins’ pre-filed bill (SB 1) tried to legalize both retail and online sports betting, but included the legalization of video lottery terminals (VLTs) throughout the state. His bill never made it to the Senate floor after it was killed by a Senate committee.

Luetkemeyer’s bill (SB 30) also attempted to legalize online and retail sports betting in the state, but did not include a VLT element. Luetkemeyer’s bill sets the sports betting tax rate at 10% of adjusted gross gaming revenue. His bill made it to the Senate floor after successfully navigating through a number of committees, but quickly became mired in 12 proposed amendments during eight hours of discussion.

Hoskins actually attempted to amend SB 30 to include VLTs during the hearing, but his amendment was voted down.

Luetkemeyer eventually pulled his bill from the Senate floor without a vote taken on the legislation.

Houx (R-54) introduced his own bill in the House of Representatives that was eventually approved by the body and sent to the Senate. Houx’s legislation allowed Missouri casinos to partner with up to three sports betting operators and professional sports franchises  to partner with up to one operator. In-person sports betting will only be available at state casinos.

This would have allowed up to 45 online sports betting operators in Missouri, as there are 13 casinos and six professional sports franchises.

Every professional sports franchise in the state supported the bill during its public debate in committee.

The bill made its way to the Senate where it never received a committee hearing.

What’s Next for Missouri Sports Betting?

Hoskins isn’t going anywhere, so a solution between sports betting and VLT legalization needs to be decided if legalized wagering ever stands a chance in the state. It’s unlikely Hoskins will budge from his stance on VLTs, so finding a solution to separate the two will be key.

It seemed as if the state had determined that the issues be separated this year, as combined VLT and sports betting bills were defeated in committee, as were amendments looking to tack VLTs into sports betting legislation.

One potential solution is putting Missouri sports betting to a vote. St. Louis Cardinals President Bill DeWitt, a proponent of legalized sports betting, recently told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he supported a referendum to put a sports betting question on the general election ballot.

“We’re going to take a serious look at that,” DeWitt told the Post-Dispatch. “I think there are a few things we may push on here at the end. We’re just so frustrated. It’s working against our fans and our citizens who overwhelmingly support it.”

Representatives for the Kansas City Royals also supported the idea of a referendum question for the November 2024 general election.