Missouri state Senator Denny Hoskins’ SB 44, which would legalize sports betting, recently was the subject of a hearing before the Senate Small Business and Industry Committee. Hoskins chairs the 8-member committee; five votes would be necessary to move the measure forward.
The bill calls for a 0.5 percent fee off the top of the total handle to be directed to a new Entertainment Facilities Infrastructure Fund for sports venue repair, maintenance and construction. “Every once in a while I do come up with a good idea, and it just kind of came into my head one day. With the leagues, it’s hard to justify giving them any money,” Hoskins said.
It also would tax wagers at 12 percent plus a 2 percent administrative fee. It requires the use of “official league data” and would allow professional leagues to determine which wagers may or may not be placed. It also would allow mobile and online betting after players register in-person at a casino.
Hoskins said casino representatives oppose the bill’s integrity fee, tax rate and data mandate, plus that it allows professional leagues to disallow certain types of wagers. “They don’t like that the sport leagues could, if they don’t like a certain kind of bet, they can just notify the gaming commission. When you talk to the sports leagues, they say, ‘We don’t want people to be able to bet on something that one player can control,’ like whether or not the first pitch of a baseball game will be a ball or a strike. Or if the first penalty in the Patriots-Rams game will be something in particular,” Hoskins said.
However, he added, “I see some credence to concern from the pro leagues, and I don’t know, maybe we come to a compromise that if sports leagues don’t like certain kind of bet, then they can take it to the commission and then there would be an appeals process.”
Other sports betting bills in Missouri include state Senator Lincoln Hough’s SB 222, which would tax sports wagers at 6.75 percent. State Rep. Cody Smith’s HB 119 calls for a 1 percent integrity fee benefiting professional sports leagues and the National Collegiate Athletic Association; it would not allow mobile betting. Hoskins said it’s possible a combination of the bills would ultimately advance to the Senate and House. “I think nothing is off the table and that we can come to some sort of compromise,” Hoskins said.
Governor Mike Parson has not expressed an opinion about sports betting, but stated he would leave questions about legalizing and regulating it up to legislators. Missouri Gaming Commission General Counsel Ed Grewach noted if lawmakers pass a sports betting measure it would have an effective date of August 28. But, he said, that doesn’t mean Missourians would be able to place legal sports bets on that date. If Parson signs a sports betting bill, the gaming commission would require a few months to develop rules and regulations, he said. Also, the state’s 13 casinos and any out-of-state vendors would have to go through a licensing process.
