House Committee passes sports betting bill in Missouri

The Cave State is now part of a list of territories in the United States that are discussing a sports betting legalisation.

US.- The House Budget Committee from Missouri heard three bills on Wednesday that would legalise sports betting through riverboat casinos. One of the bills received support from sports leagues such as the NBA and the MLB.

HB 3535, proposed by Representative Dean Plocher, R-St. Louis, also received support from the Cardinals and Royals organisations. Sports governing bodies were in favour of the bill as they support consumer protection and integrity monitoring capabilities that are detailed in the legislation. HB 3535 is the only bill that allows sports gambling online and that sends money directly to the sports leagues.

The bill also details an integrity fee, which is a one per cent charge on all wagers placed. Bryan Seeley, senior VP and deputy counsel at MLB, told lawmakers that they would use the fee to increase monitoring capabilities in anticipation of the possible rise of corruption that would come with the legalisation of sports betting. Seeley also said that the fee would be assessed on bets placed instead of revenue created by those bets, as the MLB doesn’t want to be involved in the outcome of the games.

”I’m not a big sports guy,” Rep. Peter Merideth D-St. Louis, said. “But, I love March Madness. I love it because I have a pool. I love it because I have a bracket that I’m watching which are my picks. I can imagine a lot of people getting a lot more engaged and involved in watching sports that they are betting on.”