- Professional sports leagues are asking MO lawmakers for the requirement of official league data and a 0.25% fee to be paid to the leagues.
- Missouri lawmakers previously conducted a hearing this fall to hear from casinos and sports betting operators such as DraftKings and FanDuel.
- Members of the Missouri House Special Interim Committee on Gambling are expected to release a report on gambling by December 1.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Even though the 2020 legislative session in Missouri is still a little less than two months away, lawmakers are already getting to work on preparing a sports betting bill.
Last week, members of the Missouri House Special Interim Committee on Gambling conducted a hearing in which they were given a testimony from a representative of the MLB, NBA, and PGA. The professional sports leagues asked lawmakers for certain mandates in any bill they plan on introducing next year.
Those mandates would include a requirement for MO sportsbooks to only use data that is provided by the sports leagues and that MO sports betting operators would also pay the leagues a 0.25% cut of the handle they generate from betting on their sport.
Earlier this fall, the Interim Committee on Gambling heard testimonies from potential sports betting operators in the state, all of whom oppose these mandates.
“You can’t have sports betting without our sports, but you certainly can have sports betting without a casino,” said Jeremy Kudon, a lobbyist and attorney representing the professional sports leagues to the Committee.
The requirements asked by the professional sports leagues aren’t new. Ever since PASPA was repealed in 2018, professional sports leagues have lobbied for royalty fees and data mandates to each state’s legislature that is possibly considering to legalize sports betting.
The only states that have written these conditions into law are Tennessee and Illinois. In other states, legal sportsbooks have been able to access league data through direct partnerships with the league.
The appeals made by different stakeholders in the sports betting industry will be further examined in the coming weeks. Members of the committee are expected to issue a report on the total gambling landscape in the state and also include a section about MO sports betting by December 1, 2019.
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News tags: Jeremy Kudon | Missouri | Missouri House Special Interim Committee on Gambling | MLB | NBA | PGA Tour
– In his career, Hasan has worked both local and state government positions—including the Attorney General’s Office in Florida. On top of being familiar with the legislative process, he has also been researching and writing on the legality of sports betting across the US. Outside of work you’ll most likely find him producing or playing music, playing sports, or working on creative writing projects. You’ll also catch him at Doak Campbell Stadium cheering on the Noles.