Missouri lawmakers have advanced three bills that could bring online sports betting sites to the Show-Me State but may have seen enough of another piece of legislation that would authorize video lottery game terminals as well.
House Bills 556 and 581 were passed by legislative committees on Thursday, while Senate Bill 30 received the same approval on its side of the legislature. All three pieces of legislation would legalize retail and online sports betting in Missouri.
Senate Bill 1, however, was not passed by the chamber's appropriations committee. While SB1 would allow legal sports betting at riverboat casinos or over the internet, it also includes a proposal to let the state lottery commission implement a VLT system in the state, which is opposed by operators of brick-and-mortar gaming facilities.
To compete and crowd
Thursday’s votes suggest some lawmakers are interested in legalizing sports betting this session but do not want it packaged with VLTs. Nevertheless, the VLT issue could be a sticking point with the other bills as they continue their legislative journey.
There is still additional pressure on Missouri lawmakers this year to pass a sports-betting bill due to Kansas legalizing event wagering last year. Would-be bettors in the Show-Me State also spent another year unable to wager on the Kansas City Chiefs, who won the Super Bowl. In the meantime, Missouri gamblers are taking their action to neighboring states such as Kansas and Illinois or placing their bets with illegal offshore sportsbooks.
“In terms of mobile sports betting, most illegal sports betting currently occurs online and via mobile apps,” SB 30 sponsor Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer told the appropriations committee this past week. “In order to compete with and ultimately crowd out the illegal market, this bill allows for mobile and online betting options in a properly licensed and regulated environment.”
