Missouri Video Gambling Bill Faces Uncertainty as Debate Looms

A proposal to authorize video gambling machines under the Missouri Lottery moved quickly through the Missouri House, passing a key committee just 12 days after its introduction. 

However, momentum stalled at the next step, and it took another month before the House Rules-Legislative Committee decided to place it on the calendar for debate. 

Now, with lawmakers having seven weeks left of the current session, the fate of the important bill remains uncertain.

“Do We Have a Majority?”

House Speaker Jon Patterson of Lee’s Summit supports the bill but acknowledges uncertainty within his party.

“It’s a matter of, do we have a majority of the people in the chamber that feel the same way?” Patterson said. “That I don’t know.”

For over five years, Missouri lawmakers have debated legalizing video lottery terminals and sports betting while attempting to regulate gray market machines, which are unlicensed gambling devices found in bars and convenience stores.

Patterson argues that legalizing and regulating video lottery is the best approach.

“If people are doing it, I would rather have them regulated and taxed and to make sure that kids aren’t doing it,” he argued.

Hardwick’s Bill Revisions

State Rep. Bill Hardwick has made a number of key revisions in an effort to attract more support.

His latest proposal would limit the number of machines per location to eight and allow local governments to vote on whether to permit them. 

The Dixon Republican also removed a provision requiring gray market machines to be phased out, instead giving retailers a choice between keeping those or becoming lottery vendors, but not both.

Hardwick believes the bill’s strongest selling point is its potential to generate revenue for education. 

Governor Mike Kehoe recently rejected a $300 million school funding increase, calling it too expensive. 

Fiscal projections estimate that video lottery could bring in $112 million in its first year and nearly $350 million annually at full implementation.

“It’s Just a Matter of Time”

As expected, casinos oppose the bill, arguing that unregulated machines are already cutting into their revenue. 

According to the Missouri Gaming Association, casino visits dropped 25% in late 2024 compared to 2019.

Lobbyist Andy Arnold, representing video lottery vendors, believes a bipartisan majority in the House could pass the bill.

“It’s just a matter of time before people see through and see that it’s nothing more than competition,” Arnold said. 

“They don’t want the competition. But they’ve already got the competition from the illegal machines,” he added. 

At the end of February, Missourians who won a narrow victory over the legalization of sports betting at November’s ballot learned they would not gain immediate access to betting options due to a delay from the Secretary of State’s office.