The hopes for sports betting in Missouri in 2023 officially comes to an end as the legislative session ends for the year. During the final day of the session, sports betting was not discussed by lawmakers. The fight for sports betting in Missouri has been a strenuous one which included filibusters and angry tweets. This is the fifth consecutive year that the Show Me State has failed to pass sports betting.
How Missouri Sports Betting Failed to Pass In 2023
Lawmakers in Missouri were initially pushing SB 30, a Senate bill that would regulate the betting market in Missouri. It saw a lot of support and opposition during session readings.
A prime opponent was Sen. Denny Hoskins, who was against any sports betting legislation that did not include video lottery terminals. Hoskins is infamous for filibustering sports betting legislation for consecutive years now. Earlier during the 2023 session, he did so by reading a Ronald Reagan biography amid his hours-long filibuster.
There were still favorable opinions of the measure, with the bill being placed on the informal calendar. Ultimately, the measure did not make it in the Senate.
A last-ditch effort was Sen. Hoskins’s tax and economic bill SB 92. When the measure was read in the House of Representatives, Rep. Dan Houx proposed an amendment to include sports betting. This amendment was approved and the measure returned to the Senate for concurrence.
Unfortunately, the session ended without any discussion on the manner, killing any final hopes for sports betting in Missouri.
What Does The Future Hold For Missouri Betting?
Lawmakers will likely attempt again in 2024 for sports betting. The neighboring Kansas has already seen sportsbooks go live, and local teams are in support of the market. Last year, Kansas City Chiefs representatives hinted that a potential move to Kansas could occur should sports betting not pass.
Missouri legislators are aware of this and are eager to have sports betting go live. Unfortunately, the arguments surrounding VLTs continue to plague the process. Lawmakers would have to come to some form of compromise before legislation passes. Unless this happens, Missourians are poised to see sports betting strike out for the sixth straight year.
