It isn’t 2022 yet, but Missouri is celebrating early by introducing the first sports betting bill of the year in the U.S.
The proposal would allow retail and mobile betting provided digital platforms were tied to gambling boats.
Of course, if history is any indicator, it might well be for naught. This marks the fifth stab at enacting sports betting since 2018.
House Bill 1666, from Rep. Phil Christofanelli, follows a bill filed in the Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden a year ago. Rowden’s bill competed with nine others for the 2021 session, according to Sports Handle.
Christofanelli’s proposed law includes a tax rate of 6.75 percent and does not have a league data mandate, but does allow for sports league officials to request that certain events or bet types be banned. Licensees would pay a $50,000 initial application fee and an annual fee of $40,000 per year covering administrative fees and renewal fees.
The Missouri Gaming Commission would regulate the operators, with digital sportsbooks required to partner with existing gambling boats.
Whether any of this comes to more than show and tell remains to be seen.
“We’ll take legalized betting and also the video lottery terminals and add those together and deal with both issues at one time,” said Rep. Dan Shaul. “Right now, we’re the Wild Wild West, and people are doing their own thing. It’s time that we as legislators need to step up and do something.”
