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Another legislative session has ended without passage of legal Missouri sports betting, putting the issue in limbo in the Show-Me State for at least another year.
Lawmakers had until late Friday to agree to either a House bill or amended Senate bill that would have authorized as many as 45 mobile apps in the state. Retail sportsbooks at riverboat casinos would have also been allowed.
Both efforts died in the Senate, where neither proposal passed before the 2023 regular legislative session came to a close last night.
The sponsor of both the House bill and sports betting amendment, Rep. Dan Houx (R), has not returned Gaming Today’s request for comment.
Houx had attempted to negotiate final passage with key senators — specifically SB 92 sponsor Denny Hoskins (R), who has repeatedly blocked sports betting legislation in favor of bills (most recently his own SB 1) to legalize unregulated video slot machines in the state alongside legal sports betting.
Legislation Blocked, Negotiations Stall
Houx’s amendment to SB 92 was similar to House Bill 556, also sponsored by Houx, and Senate Bill 30 sponsored by Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer — although SB 30 never made it off the Senate floor. All three proposals would have allowed up to three mobile sportsbooks per each of the state’s casinos, and one mobile sportsbook for each of the state’s professional sports teams.
Casinos would have been allowed one retail sportsbook each. The tax rate across the board would have been 15 percent.
HB 556 – which passed the House 118-35 on March 22 – died the Senate Appropriations Committee on Friday when the session ended.
SB 92, amended with sports betting provisions by the House on Tuesday, was never called for a final vote on the Senate floor.
SB 30 had been in limbo on the Senate calendar for weeks. It was scuttled in April due to parliamentary delays led by Hoskins, who is adamant that regulation of now rogue video slots, aka “gray games,” statewide should be included in any sports betting measure.
Several other sports betting bills filed during the 2023 legislative session faded early on.
A New Path to Legalizing Sports Betting in Missouri?
This is the second year that sports betting legislation has passed the Missouri House only to die in the state Senate. Meanwhile frustration with what many see as political stonewalling is mounting in the pro-legalization camp.
Missouri pro sports franchises are now considering a possible sports betting ballot initiative instead of waiting on lawmakers another year.
Both the KC Royals and St. Louis Cardinals have made public statements hinting at a public referendum amid legislative inaction. According to news station KCTV-5, the Royals this week issued the following statement in support of a potential ballot question.
“The Kansas City Royals are aligned with the coalition of professional sports franchises across the state and share the same frustration when it comes to the lack of progress in Jefferson City,” according to the statement reported by KCTV-5 on Tuesday.
“We are open to considering a joint initiative petition campaign at some point soon,” the statement continued.
