Another push for sports betting in Missouri is being mounted by lawmakers in the state — even if the governor doesn’t think the timing is right.
Members of the Missouri House of Representatives and Senate are back at work to deal with a special session called by Republican Gov. Mike Parson, who wants them to pass an income-tax cut and extend and create several agriculture-related tax credits.
Yet one lawmaker, Rep. Dan Houx, used the resumption of legislative business to introduce a legal sports betting bill, House Bill 4, which follows a failed attempt earlier this year to bring some form of authorized wagering to the Show-Me State.
H.B. 4 would allow for both retail and online sports betting, something that neighboring Kansas already has, much to the chagrin of Missouri residents. Houx said Monday during a committee meeting that the legislation is essentially the same as that which passed the House earlier this year (but not the Senate), albeit with the tax rate bumped up to 10% from 8%.
Here we go again?
The House member told the committee that he was trying to keep the issue in people’s minds, as lawmakers have been hearing from residents who were unhappy about the failure to get anything passed during the regular legislative session.
“It's definitely to keep it in the forefront, to show Missourians at least the House is trying to do everything that we promised them we’ll do,” Houx said.
Some lawmakers may even see sports betting as related to tax matters, and, therefore, as appropriate for the special session.
“The reality is, if we, while doing so, found a way to interject more revenue, then we could probably cut more taxes,” Rep. Scott Cupps said during Monday’s committee meeting.
On that point, though, the governor may disagree. According to local media, Parson wants to keep the special session laser-focused on his tax-cut plans.
“Sports betting is clearly beyond the call and does not relate to Governor Parson’s topics in the call,” a spokesperson for the governor said, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Governor puts brakes on latest sports betting push in Missouri https://t.co/8abxWml1V5
— Timothy McBride (@mcbridetd) September 19, 2022
Nevertheless, the fact that lawmakers are again weighing a sports-betting bill in Missouri shows the issue has staying power. If a bill doesn't get passed during the special session, it's likely legislation will resurface at the next regularly-scheduled round of sittings.
The recent debut of legal sports betting in next-door Kansas has particularly grated on would-be bettors in Missouri. GeoComply, a technology company that helps online sportsbooks determine the location of bettors, has already blocked thousands of attempts to access Kansas-licensed sportsbooks by people in Missouri since the launch earlier this month.
Lawmakers are again being prodded by the gaming industry and the state’s professional sports franchises as well, who used Monday’s committee meeting to once again voice their support for sports betting-related legislation.
“We get yelled at because [fans] think we are geofencing them out when they come to Busch Stadium for a ballgame,” a rep for the St. Louis Cardinals said during Monday’s meeting. “It's time to get this done. The fans want it. It's a part of the experience.”
