Missouri Senate Appropriations Committee Passes Sports Betting Bill
The Missouri Senate Appropriations Committee passed the sports betting bill out of committee today by a vote of 8-1. There were no changes made to the bill prior to the vote. However, the Committee Chairman said the bill is still a work in progress and that it isn’t in its final form. There will be changes incorporated in a Senate floor substitute, such as a higher tax rate.
The bill is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Government Accountability and Fiscal Oversight Committee on Monday, April 25th at 3:30 CT. This hearing will address the fiscal impact of the bill and nothing else. It is expected that it will be a quick vote to pass the bill out of this committee.
John Pappas will be at the Missouri State Capitol meeting with lawmakers on April 26th and 27th.
Our team has been working the Senate on this bill and offered testimony at the hearing on 04/06.
We are educating members on the need to keep tax rates low and provide incentives for operators to offer bonuses, etc.
Key focus is on Sen. Hoskins to ensure that his support for VLT legalization does not interfere with sports betting advancing to a vote on the Senate floor.