It’s been several years in the making but it seems like Missouri could finally be making some progress in terms of legal sports betting. Sen. Denny Hoskins, who is on the Senate Economic Development Committee, seems determined to make things happen and has discussed a variety of betting options that would more than satisfy the demand in his state.
Hoskins Determined to Get Things Moving
If it’s up to Sen. Denny Hoskins, he will be pre-filing a bill as early as December 1 which would be the earliest that could be done. The wait has been a long one for anyone paying attention to the situation involving legal sports betting in the state of Missouri. Back on January 29 of 2018, a placeholder bill was introduced in order to begin the conversation about legal sports betting in the state.
The original bill as drafted would have allowed licensed entities that operate gambling boats or fantasy contests to add sports betting to their list of offerings. If you’re paying attention to the date here, the bill was introduced even before PASPA was struck down. So when we say the wait has been a long one, that’s a huge understatement if you are a sports gambling fan living in Missouri. After all, of these years they have absolutely nothing to show for it so this news is definitely going to be celebrated.
Still a Very Long Way to Go Before Launch
Now before we get ahead of ourselves, this does not mean that Missouri is anywhere near launching their sports betting market just as yet. Since the earliest that Hoskins can begin pre-filing the bill is December which means a 2021 launch is out of the question. One of the reasons Hoskins, who chairs the Senate Economic Development Committee, is getting so much local attention as he seems determined to make this happen in 2022.
Not only that, he seems ready to bring a slew of betting options to the table such as; sports betting, eSports betting, horse racing as well as legalized slot machines. Hoskins believes that this could bring upwards of $20 million dollars to the state if launched successfully. According to Hoskins, the state already has an issue with illegal video gaming terminals and this would be one way the state could turn that into profit to assist in other areas.
Heavy Lifting Still to Come
It’s great that Hoskins has begun laying the groundwork but the heavy lifting is far from done. Anyone that has watched the process of launching in other states will know that there are so many steps left that the fact that Missouri is still almost half a year from even filing the paperwork to get the ball rolling that this isn’t happening anytime soon. If anything, this is a long overdue update as to what happened with a process that started years ago.
Players in Missouri and across the country that don’t yet have access to legalized sports betting can go to OddsTrader once this changes. OddsTrader currently offers betting odds comparison in Illinois, Colorado, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Indiana, Michigan, Virginia, Iowa and West Virginia.
Until Missouri is ready to launch, Hoskins will be their champion, fighting the good fight to finalize a process that should have been completed some time ago. Missouri is ready to launch their legal sports betting market and hopefully, the powers that be are finally ready to listen.
