Ameristar St. Charles Archives

Major League Baseball to testify Thursday at Missouri Capitol (AUDIO)

November 6, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

A representative from Major League Baseball will testify Thursday before a Missouri House gaming committee in Jefferson City about sports wagering legislation.

State Rep. Robert Ross, R-Yukon, speaks during an August 22, 2019 hearing of the Missouri House Special Interim Committee on Gaming (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Jeremy Kudon of Major League Baseball is traveling from New York to Jefferson City to testify before the House Special Interim Committee on Gaming. Committee Chairman Dan Shaul, R-Imperial, tells Missourinet that he expects an informative presentation.

“MLB will be here (the Missouri Capitol) on November 7th and they’ll talk about their role in sports betting, and what they’d like to see and what they’ve done in other states,” Shaul says.

Gaming executive Chris Krafcik of San Francisco-based Eilers and Krejcik Gaming testified before the committee in October that legalizing sports betting at Missouri casinos and via mobile devices would generate about $289 million annually in revenue.

Multiple gaming executives testified in October that they want to make sure that legalized sports betting in Missouri is easy to use, secure and is fair for the consumer.

State Reps. Robert Ross, R-Yukon, and Cody Smith, R-Carthage, filed sports wagering bills in 2019, but the bills died because of a lack of consensus in the Legislature. Representative Ross, who serves on the interim committee, tells Missourinet he plans to file a similar but improved bill for 2020.

The “St. Louis Post-Dispatch” has reported that at least 18 other states and the District of Columbia allow residents 21 and older to bet on collegiate and professional sports.

Las Vegas-based Boyd Gaming, which operates the Ameristar Kansas City and St. Charles casinos, testified last month for legislation to legalize sports betting in Missouri. Boyd Gaming’s Ryan Soultz tells lawmakers Missouri is losing tax revenue to other states, citing customers in the Kansas City area.

“We’ve heard from some customers that are making the drive up to Iowa for football Saturdays and football Sundays because we don’t have a sports book here,” Soultz testifies.

The House Special Interim Committee on Gaming meets Thursday at noon. This is the committee’s final hearing. They plan to submit a report to the full House by December 1.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and House Special Interim Committee on Gaming Chairman Dan Shaul, R-Imperial, which was recorded on October 24, 2019 at the Statehouse in Jefferson City:

Gaming industry predicts sports betting will generate millions of dollars in Missouri

October 24, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

Gaming executives from across the nation traveled to Jefferson City to testify Thursday afternoon before a Missouri House committee about sports wagering.

Missouri House Special Interim Committee on Gaming Chairman Rep. Dan Shaul, R-Imperial, speaks during an August 22, 2019 hearing in Jefferson City (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Executive Chris Krafcik of San Francisco-based Eilers and Krejcik Gaming tells the House Special Interim Committee on Gaming that if Missouri allows sports betting only at land-based facilities like casinos, it would generate about $95 million annually in revenue.

“The second assumes that Missouri allows sports betting at both land-based facilities and via mobile devices from anywhere within the state’s borders,” Krafcik testifies. “And in this scenario, Missouri’s legal sports betting industry would generate approximately $289 million in revenue.”

Executives from Las Vegas-based Boyd Gaming also testified on Thursday, for legislation to legalize sports betting in Missouri. Boyd employs about 2,500 Missourians at its Ameristar Kansas City and St. Charles casinos, combined.

Boyd Gaming’s Ryan Soultz tells lawmakers that legalizing sports betting in other states has boosted foot traffic in casinos and has produced additional jobs.

“Now you have a new crowd coming in that wants to watch football, and they want to bet on football and hang out in the sports book all day,” says Soultz. “And while they’re there, they are buying food and beverage.”

Fantasy sports provider “Fan Duel” also testified, saying they’re excited about the possibility of legalized sports betting in Missouri. An executive from Boston-based fantasy sports provider DraftKings also testified.

The House Special Interim Committee on Gaming heard about three hours of testimony, primarily from gaming executives. Committee Chairman Dan Shaul, R-Imperial, tells Missourinet the executives were “in lockstep” in what they want in legalized sports betting here.

“They want to make sure that it’s easy to use, secure, fair for the consumer,” Shaul says.

The “St. Louis Post-Dispatch” has reported that at least 18 other states and the District of Columbia allow residents 21 and older to bet on collegiate and professional sports.

Major League Baseball executives will travel to Jefferson City to testify before the committee on November 7, about sports wagering. The committee will submit its report to the full House by December, ahead of the 2020 session.

Thursday was the committee’s fourth hearing.

State Reps. Robert Ross, R-Yukon, and Cody Smith, R-Carthage, filed sports wagering bills in 2019, but they died because of a lack of consensus in the Legislature. Representative Ross tells Missourinet he plans to file a similar but improved bill for 2020.