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Missouri State Rep. Dan Houx had every major sports franchise in Missouri behind him in 2022 when he got an online sports betting bill through the state House. The effort stalled in the Senate, but Houx didn’t give up.
On Wednesday, the four-term Republican from West Missouri succeeded in getting the sports betting legislation to the Senate for a second year in a row – and with more votes.
House Bill 556 passed the House on a vote of 118-35. That’s three more votes in favor of the Missouri sports betting legislation than Houx received in 2022 when HB 2502 passed the House on a vote of 115-33.
It was the second vote on the measure this week in the House, which approved the bill by voice vote after a floor debate on Monday. Several amendments – including one to raise the tax rate on sports betting revenue in the bill from 10 percent to 21 percent – were defeated before the vote.
The bill now goes to the Senate. It remains to be seen, however, if HB 556 will survive a final vote before the Missouri General Assembly adjourns on May 12.
Compulsive Gambling Provisions Factor Into Missouri Sports Betting Proposals
As written now, HB 556 would bring up to 45 sportsbook apps to the state through its riverboat casinos and pro sports teams. Each of the state’s 13 casinos would be eligible for three skins plus a retail sportsbook, with no more than six apps per casino company.
Each pro franchise would be eligible for one online app but not a retail sportsbook.
Right now, there is bipartisan support for sports betting in both the House and Senate, where lawmakers from both major parties have supported legalization in recent years. HB 556 is actually the second sports betting bill waiting for a Senate vote this month. SB 30 – a bill similar to HB 556 sponsored by Senate Majority Caucus Chair Tony Luetkemeyer, R-Parkville – is awaiting a floor vote this week.
Both HB 556 and SB 30 would allow up to three online apps per casino and one per sports team. They also include specific provisions to combat problem gambling, including:
– Self-exclusion from sports wagering by state regulation
– Forfeiture of winnings from sports bets placed by anyone on the self-exclusion list
– Requirement for the state to establish treatment and recovery programs for compulsive gambling
But opposition to the proposals remains. The most likely opposition to either proposal will come from lawmakers who want to legalize sports betting and now-unregulated video slot machines in the same bill.
‘Gray Games’ Debate Still Looms Over MO Sports Betting Bills
Neither HB 556 or SB 30 include any provisions to legalize the video slots, often referred to as “gray machines” because they operate in a gray area of the law.
Because there isn’t a law against the machines, they aren’t technically illegal. But because they aren’t regulated, no tax is paid on the revenue they generate.
Past legislative debates have revealed that there may be more than 20,000 gray machines now operating in Missouri at locations including truck stops and gas marts.
Houx told Fox4 News in January, “It’s always been my belief that video lottery and sports gambling are two separate bills so it’s just a sports gambling bill all on its own,” in HB 556. But getting the Senate on board with legal sports betting outside of a debate on VLTs has been fruitless in past years. Sen. Denny Hoskins, R-Warrensburg, has said repeatedly that he wants to address VLT regulation and sports betting in one bill.
