The Missouri Senate Appropriations Committee recently reviewed three sports betting bills but took no action. Two of the bills, SB 1046 and SB 1061, are the same as House legislation, HB 2502. The House Administrative Oversight Committee previously passed that measure in a 13-1 vote, advancing it to the House floor.
State Rep. Dan Houx, the bill’s sponsor, said, “I feel confident we’ll get it out of the House.” Previously, Houx’s measure passed out of the Special Committee on Public Policy. That committee’s chairman, state Rep. Dan Cupps, still wants an amendment directing payment to rural counties where online bets originate. “We’re working through that but we don’t believe it’s constitutional,” Houx said.
In addition, Houx said the proposed 10 percent tax rate on sports betting still is lower than some than some legal jurisdictions, but he believes it’s in line with neighboring states like Iowa and Illinois.
In the Senate, SB 1046, sponsored by state Senator Dan Hegeman, and SB 1061, sponsored by state Senator Tony Luetkemeyer, would legalize retail sports betting at the state’s 13 casinos. Thirty-nine skins would be allowed, including one to each of the six professional teams in the state, with the rest divided among the six Missouri casino operators.
Like Houx’s House measure, sports betting revenue would be taxed at 10 percent. Also like Houx’s, bill, the Senate bills are backed by a coalition including the state’s professional sports teams, casinos and the Sports Betting Alliance. St. Louis Cardinals President Bill DeWitt III said, “We want to make sure there is no temptation for fans to go to other states for better pricing, or have taxes choke the economics of the operators who we need to be successful.”
The third Senate bill, SB 643, sponsored by state Rep. Denny Hoskins, would legalize retail sports betting at the state’s casinos and give them each one online skin. Also, it would allow the Missouri Lottery to offer retail parlay bets. The bill includes a tax rate of 21 percent which is the same rate for casino gaming revenue. A legislative fiscal note estimated Hoskins’ proposal could generate $163 million for the state; Luetkemeyer said his measure could produce $21 million.
