The Missouri House is considering a bill to regulate and tax video lottery terminals (VLTs), a move that supporters say would provide legal clarity for businesses but opponents argue would expand gambling in the state.
House Bill 970, introduced by Rep. Bill Hardwick (R-Dixon), would place VLTs under the Missouri Lottery Commission. Currently, the only VLTs operating in the state are “no chance” machines—devices found in bars and convenience stores that do not have truly random results.
Missouri law prohibits gambling outside of regulated casinos, but because these machines lack randomness, some operators have argued they do not violate the law, leaving them in a grey area.
Hardwick and other proponents contend that regulation would provide businesses with legal certainty and ensure tax revenue is directed to education, as required by the Missouri Constitution.
“What we owe all the businesses in Missouri is regulatory certainty as to exactly what is authorized by the law and what is not,” Hardwick said.
If passed, the bill would establish a transition period during which existing machines would be phased out and replaced with regulated ones.
Opponents argue that the bill would effectively expand gambling, pointing to voter skepticism toward gaming expansion. In November 2024, Amendment 2, which legalized sports betting, passed by a narrow margin, reflecting the divided public opinion on the issue.
Meanwhile, Amendment 5, which would have authorized a new casino on the Osage River, failed, further highlighting the uncertainty surrounding gambling expansion in Missouri.
Rep. Emily Weber (D-Kansas City) questioned whether there is sufficient public support for additional gambling measures. “Sports betting barely passed. Gambling in Missouri is not an overall thing that Missourians love,” she said.
One contentious aspect of the bill is a provision prohibiting municipalities from imposing their own bans or regulations on VLTs for the first year.
Rep. Elizabeth Fuchs (D-St. Louis) criticized this restriction, arguing that local governments should have the ability to reject the machines outright. “St. Louis just can’t say, ‘We don’t want this.’ Or Springfield can’t say, ‘We don’t want this,’ at the start,” Fuchs said.
Efforts to regulate VLTs have historically been tied to sports betting legalization in Missouri. Former Sen. Denny Hoskins, now the state’s secretary of state, was a longtime advocate for VLT regulation. In 2023, Hoskins filibustered a sports betting bill in the Senate because it excluded VLTs.
Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2025/01/29/93401-missouri-lawmakers-once-again-consider-regulating-video-gambling-machines
