Last year, the Missouri legislature seemingly made progress in passing a bill to legalize sports wagering, as a bill passed to the house only to get stopped in the Senate. Now, the same state Senator who filed the bill last year has filed a new one.
State Senator Denny Hoskins from the 21st district told KMOX about his bill, and why he thinks it could succeed this time around. One reason, he said, is that it has pretty widespread support among Missourians.
"We've seen what Illinois and Kansas have done but however, we want to make sure we do it right," Hoskins said. "Kansas just went legalized with sports betting in the month of September and so far, the month of September and October they've only raised $275,000. So annualized that that's only about $1.6 million to the state which seems like a drop in the bucket."
One reason the bill didn't make it too far last year was because, while professional sports teams statewide backed it, casinos weren't in agreement with it.
"The Senate handler said that he would not bring that bill up unless everyone was in agreement," he said. "And since the casino said 'No, we don't agree to that bill,' then ultimately it died in the last couple of weeks of session last year."
Hoskins also addressed concerns that some have about the way legal sports betting could fuel gambling addictions.
"Certainly some of my colleagues are just against gambling in general, whether it's bingo, whether it's the lottery, whether it's poker, whether it's the casinos," he said. "But I've had a lot more support this year, as I've gone around the state and visited with many of my colleagues and they've said that, hey, we want to get something done."
Hear more from State Senator Denny Hoskins on the path to legal sports betting in Missouri:
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