The Missouri Senate Appropriations Committee advanced House Bills 2502 and 2556, a House sports wagering bill, last week.

A release from State Senator Denny Hoskins, R- Warrensburg, says the bill codifies a deal between the casinos and the professional sports teams that allows among other things, remote and online gambling on sporting events from anywhere in the state with a significantly reduced tax rate.

Hoskins said the current version of the bill fails to resolve key issues relating to funding for education and problem gambling treatment programs, and does not implement changes needed to address illegal gambling activity.

A key player in the success of any gaming legislation, Sen. Hoskins has questioned the merits of the bill as being too one-sided in favor of the casinos as it only produces an estimated $10 million annually for public education. Hoskins champions a sports wagering proposal that raises an estimated $163 million annually for Missouri public education and veterans programs.

“The current tax rate on gambling in Missouri is 21 percent, and provides a significant amount of funding for our public schools. I don’t see why sports wagering should be treated differently,” Hoskins said, “I look forward to working on this bill during floor debate to ensure that Missouri education and problem gambling treatment programs are the focus of this legislation, not just the bottom-line interests of the casinos.”

The bill is scheduled for a hearing at 3:30 p.m. Monday, April 25, in the Senate Governmental Affairs and Fiscal Oversight Committee, and could be debated Monday evening when the full Senate convenes.

For information about Senator Hoskins, visit his official Missouri Senate website: senate.mo.gov/Hoskins.