The Missouri House of Representatives passed an initiative Tuesday that could give way to legalized sports gambling in the state.
According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Missouri House, led by Republicans, voted 118-35 in favor of the bill. The Senate will be the hill to climb over for this bill, as the Missouri Senate has denied bills for legalized sports gambling as recently as last year.
The bill, entitled HB 556, is sponsored by Missouri Rep. Dan Houx. It hopes to legalize sports gambling across the state while others around Missouri, including Iowa and Illinois, have legalized it and have seen positive results.
According to the Post-Dispatch, the bill includes a 10 percent tax on sports betting, and the revenues will be used to fund public education in the state.
Dozens of states have already legalized sports gambling. “A total of 33 states and the District of Columbia now offer at least some form of sports wagering – each scrambling for shares of a multibillion-dollar enterprise that has rapidly expanded after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed it nearly five years ago.”
All eyes now are on the Missouri Senate to see if the state becomes the 34th to legalize some form of sports gambling. There’s certainly been plenty of interest from the state, especially with the Kansas City Chiefs, who’ve won two Super Bowls since the beginning of the 2019-20 season.
