Show-Me More MO Sports Betting Bills Moving Through The House

• Legal sports betting in Missouri could bring in millions of dollars annually in revenue for the state.
• Two more bills will receive their time on the House floor for consideration toward legalization.
• The three bills currently being looked at in Missouri to legalize sports betting all have a chance at becoming law by August 2020.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri has two more sports betting bills on the table that would legalize the activity in the Show-Me State. Both MO HB 2284 and MO HB 2318 had Executive Sessions in the House on Monday where they were heard.

On Tuesday, the bills were passed by the Missouri House of Representatives Committee to move forward. The next stop on the docket is the House Committee on Rules-Legislative Oversight.

The Bills On The Floor

Bill MO HB 2284 is sponsored by Representative Cody Smith (R-Carthage) to make sports betting legal in Missouri. Under this bill, the tax rate is set at 9% on all revenue from gambling on sporting events. Smith also requires that sportsbook operators use official league data.

MO HB 2318 is a sports betting bill sponsored by Representative Phil Christofanelli (R-St.Peters). This bill doesn’t require the use of official league data by sportsbooks and has a tax rate of 6.75%. Application fees would cost operators $50,000 with an annual renewal fee of $20,000.

While both bills will be moving forward in the House, there was opposition among the House of Representatives about the terms involved in each bill. The biggest issue was that of the tax rate. Amendments were suggested only to be shot down by the committee.

There is still much to be discussed with these two bills if they have any chance at legalizing sports betting in Missouri. Representative Jon Carpenter (D-Kansas City) voted in favor of both bills, however, he did have some hesitancy in doing so.

“I’m not 100 percent sold on either of these bills as of today, but I do think it would be good to get this done this year,” said Carpenter.

The Third Bill

MO HB 2088 is still very much part of the equation for legalizing sports betting in Missouri. The bill has passed through various House Committees with its last activity happening on February 26.

MO HB 2088 is under an Emergency Clause while the other two bills are not. The sponsor of the bill, Representative Dan Shaul (R-Imperial) believes legal sports betting is in the cards for Missouri because of its benefits to the economy.

“Right now, we are making nothing from an activity that is not fair, not regulated and not transparent. Conservative estimates, even at $1 million in annual revenue would be $1 million in net profit that we didn’t have. If we make north of $100 million annually in revenue like we think we will, that would be a huge positive. It would be helpful all the way around from education to healthcare,” said Shaul.

What’s Next?

All three bills will get their time in Committee in order to be discussed and voted on. Missouri’s legislative session ends on May 15.

Each of these bills will need to be decided on by that time if the Show-Me State plans on seeing legal sports betting in 2020. Should any of them pass, they would become law in August of 2020 with an expected launch by 2021.

News tags: Cody Smith | Dan Shaul | House Committee on Rules-Legislative Oversight. | Jon Carpenter | Missouri | Missouri House of Representatives | MO HB 2088 | MO HB 2284 | MO HB 2318 | Phil Christofanelli