Missouri Gov. Mike Parson pumps the breaks on push to discuss sports betting at special session

Bad news for those that were betting on Missouri legalizing sports gaming in the near future. Gov. Mike Parson has put brakes on the latest push to regulate the practice, shutting the door Monday on efforts by the Missouri House. 

Lawmakers in the Show Me State are back in the Capitol as part of a special session called by the Republican governor to deal with a cut in state income tax rates. And while some were hopeful to discuss sports betting at the session, with State Rep. Dan Houx (R-Warrensburg) having introduced a bill to that end last week, this now seems an unlikely scenario.

Gov Parson spokeswoman Kelli Jones said that sports betting legislation is not relevant to the subject of the special session, reports St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “Sports betting is clearly beyond the call and does not relate to Governor Parson’s topics in the call. I do not anticipate sports betting being a part of the special session,” Jones said.

Her comments came a mere few hours before a House panel was set to debate Houx’s legislation, a sports wagering package mirroring one that failed to advance in the Senate during the spring legislative session. The measure calls for Missouri to join neighboring states in making betting on sports legal by allowing retail sports gaming on state riverboat casinos and granting mobile licenses for online operators.

Under the sports betting plan, casinos would be entitled to a retail sportsbook and at least three mobile sports wagering platforms per location. Other components of the bill include initial application fees up to $150,000 for providers; a tax rate of 10% of adjusted gross receipts; and an annual license renewal fee no larger than $50,000. The bill also calls for a $10,000 fee to cover the cost of a full reinvestigation of the provider every four years.

According to Houx, Missouri isn’t just missing out on tax revenue, but bars and restaurants are also losing money that is currently being spent across state lines. And while the sports betting bill is similar to the one that failed the last session –which passed the House but fell apart in the Senate over licensing fees– the State Rep. hopes the results could be different if the bill is given another shot, with local leaders and pro sports franchises again on board with the plan.

Advocates believe there is a bigger-than-ever appetite for sports gambling in Missouri after Kansas launched its betting program earlier this month. Since its neighbor’s market launch, more than 100,000 Missourians have tried to place bets through licensed Kansas operators before being blocked by geofencing software, says cybersecurity provider GeoComply.

Both Houx and fellow supporters claim the legislation could bring tens of millions of dollars to Missouri each year. Additionally, the push has the backing of pro sports teams like the MLB’s St. Louis Cardinals and the NHL’s St. Louis Blues, which would be allowed to have betting windows at their facilities under the proposed law.

At a Monday hearing, Rep. Houx acknowledged the governor could block the legislation from moving forward, but said it was worth keeping the issue at the forefront of the Legislature. The State Rep. noted he would introduce the bill again in January if current efforts were to fail.

Dozens of US jurisdictions –including neighboring states Kansas, Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa and Tennessee– have already legalized sports betting. “All the states surrounding us already have it, so we're losing revenue,” Houx told KMBC. “We had a meeting a couple of weeks back, House Republicans, and every member of the House came up to me and said, ‘hey, the number one thing we're hearing from constituents is sports gambling, why we couldn't get it done.’”