Missouri Sports Betting Efforts Come Short of 2022 Mark

Missouri has struck out on a potential sports betting law due to a lack of time to see House Bill 2752 pass the entire legislative rigmarole. With the session now ended, the chances for the state of passing a sports betting bill that would have allowed it to work on a framework for the launch of betting ahead of the NFL season are also gone.

Just Not Enough Time to See It Through

House Bill 2752 had a good run. It was backed by Representative Dave Griffith who sponsored the bill and was introduced on February 23. It gathered momentum and was passed onto the Special Committee on public policy, but not until May 13, which limited its chances to gain proper traction.

However, no committee hearing was held, which hampered the further advance of the bill and got it stuck. The bill was aimed at adjusting the existing legislation and removing objective laws that prohibited gambling. The bill proposed a 21% table income on sports gambling revenue and proposed a $50,000 application fee. Interactive licensees would have had to pay a $20,000 fee for renewal.

House Bill 2752 was not the only attempt during the legislative session to see sports betting take shape in the state. Missouri will have to wait until the next legislative session to pass a new bill. This time, lawmakers may be a little better prepared.

Missouri to Keep Losing Betting to the Other States

At the time, the state has no regulated sportsbooks, which means that neighboring states, and the illegal gambling sector, will probably be the biggest winners at the expense of the state purse. Some of the states that already allow sports gambling and are close to Missouri, include Iowa, Illinois, Tennessee, and Arkansas.

Kansas is already making strides forward with Gov. Laura Kelly signing off on the legislation that is now set to introduce sports gambling to the state.