Missouri Sports Betting Bills Die On Senate Floor Due To Filibuster

• Senator Denny Hoskins filibustered the potential sports betting bill in Missouri, killing the bill.
• Lawmakers now have until May 13, the session deadline, to have a new bill pass.
• This move potentially delayed sports betting another year in Missouri.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri sports betting fans will have to wait even longer for a potential regulated market thanks to the efforts of one Senator, Denny Hoskins.

Sen. Hoskins prevented the Senate from voting on the Missouri sports betting bills via filibuster, killing the bills on the Senate floor.

I eat big shot NY lobbyists for breakfast. 🙂 #moleg https://t.co/BBdPaizHxe pic.twitter.com/xKcd1KBuXy

— Senator Denny Hoskins, CPA (@DLHoskins) April 28, 2022

Lawmakers now have until May 13 when the session adjourns for the year to pass a bill. This is a major blow to the efforts of lawmakers who were optimistic after the bills passed to the Senate floor.

Missouri Sports Betting In Jeopardy

Of the now dead bills, HB 2502 saw a lot of promise early on. The bill would launch both mobile and retail sportsbooks and was supported by local sports teams like the Kansas City Chiefs.

Hoskins’s biggest issue with the sports betting bill was in the removal of Video Lottery Terminals (VLT) that would be placed across the state.

While VLTs were included in the initial bill, they were removed during amendments. Hoskins on multiple occasions during the filibuster expressed that there will not be a sports betting bill without VLTs.

“You are not going to have one without the other,” said Hoskins.

Hoskins also stated that he had 153 amendments to the bill. One Missouri Senator expressed that the removal of VLTs was a tactic to kill the sports betting bill in Missouri altogether.

What Is Next

Lawmakers still have other sports betting bills in the works but these were not as far along as HB 2502. HB 2502 had already passed in the House and had some support in the Senate prior to the filibuster.

Hoskins also has expressed blocking any other sports betting bills in the future if they cannot come to an agreement.

For now, the legal sports betting market in Missouri is in limbo, with the potential for things to be pushed back until 2023. The looming May 13 deadline gives lawmakers little time to work out a new bill that pleases everyone.

News tags: Denny Hoskins | HB 2502 | Jefferson City | Missouri