Missouri House Special Interim Committee on Gaming Archives

Senator Hoskins: Missourians are currently traveling to Iowa and Las Vegas to wager on sports (AUDIO)

December 8, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

A veteran Missouri lawmaker has pre-filed legislation that would authorize sports wagering.

State Sen. Denny Hoskins, R-Warrensburg, speaks on the Missouri Senate floor in Jefferson City on March 3, 2020 (file photo courtesy of Harrison Sweazea with Senate Communications)

The bill from State Sen. Denny Hoskins, R-Warrensburg, would allow you to place wagers on Missouri’s 13 licensed riverboat casinos and on the internet.

“They would be able to bet on a variety of not only professional sports but they would be able to bet on a variety of college sports as well,” Hoskins says. “So if you wanted to make a bet on the MU Tigers football or basketball team, you’d be able to make that bet as well.”

Senator Hoskins projects that Missouri would receive anywhere from $37 million to $50 million annually in new tax revenue, if his Senate Bill 18 is legalized.

He says 26 other states have authorized it, and that Missouri is losing revenue to other states during tight budget times.

“They (Missourians) will literally drive to the state of Iowa and go up there (Iowa) to a casino, or literally drive across the Iowa state line so they can place a legal bet in the state of Iowa, and then drive back home to Missouri,” says Hoskins.

He says other Missourians are traveling to Las Vegas to wager on sports.

The Missouri House Special Interim Committee on Gaming released a 15-page report in December 2019, which concluded that Missouri will likely lose revenue if it doesn’t remain competitive with other states. Hoskins says state lawmakers will be trying to “plug a lot of different holes” in the state budget during the 2021 session.

“I most certainly don’t want to raise taxes, but I would like to see the tax income from this new revenue stream (sports wagering) come to the state of Missouri,” Hoskins says.

The House interim committee’s 2019 report viewed the legalization of sports betting as a “legitimate opportunity to increase state revenues” for education and other programs.

Hoskins represents eight counties in western and northwest Missouri in the Senate: Caldwell, Carroll, Howard, Johnson, Lafayette, Livingston, Ray, and Saline. He served in the Missouri House from 2009-2016, before he was elected to the Senate. Hoskins was re-elected in November, to a second Senate term.

The 2021 session begins January 6 in Jefferson City.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with State Sen. Denny Hoskins, R-Warrensburg, which was recorded on December 2, 2020:

Missouri House GOP and Democratic leaders focused on urban violence

January 9, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Addressing the increasing violence in St. Louis and Kansas City is a priority for Missouri House Republicans and Democrats during the 2020 session, which began Wednesday in Jefferson City.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Color Guard presents the flags to start the 2020 session in the Missouri House on January 8, 2020 (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, tells Capitol reporters that the cities need support for witness protection.

“When you have a city like the size of St. Louis facing almost 200 homicides a year, both the police force is sort of overwhelmed and their investigatory unit is sort of overwhelmed,” Haahr says.

There were 194 murders in St. Louis in 2019, along with 148 homicides in Kansas City.

U.S. Attorney Tim Garrison has said that St. Louis, Kansas City and Springfield are three of the top 15 most violent cities in the nation, on a per capita basis.

As for House Democrats, they are outnumbered this year in the Missouri House 114-48, with one vacancy. House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, is also focused on increased support for witness protection. But she also tried to draw a distinction between the two parties, during her opening day press conference.

“We will not accept that children dying from gun violence on a weekly basis is the price that we pay for freedom,” says Quade. “And we will demand that common sense be restored to Missouri law to make it harder for the bad guy with the gun to get the gun in the first place.”

At least 13 children were killed in St. Louis City shootings in 2019.

Quade says House Democrats want to punish crime, not poverty.

The Missouri Senate Interim Committee on Public Safety is expected to come up with recommendations to address gun violence, for the 2020 session. The committee is chaired by State Sen. Doug Libla, R-Poplar Bluff.

Speaker Haahr and Leader Quade held back-to-back press conferences at the Statehouse, on opening day.

Meantime, the Missouri House Special Interim Committee on Gaming released its report in December. The committee views the legalization of sports betting as a “legitimate opportunity to increase state revenues” for education and other programs.

18 states will have implemented sports wagering by this year.

Speaker Haahr tells Missourinet there’s a lot of discussion about sports wagering legislation at the Capitol.

“I don’t think any of that discussion particularly falls along party lines,” Haahr says. “I think it sort of cuts across both caucuses and so, we’ll consider those bills as they are filed.”

The House Special Interim Committee on Gaming’s report concluded that Missouri would likely lose revenue if it doesn’t remain competitive with other states.

Major League Baseball (MLB) representative Jeremy Kudon traveled to Jefferson City in November to testify before the gaming committee. He testifies that Missourians are expected to wager $5.5 billion annually on sports, if it’s legalized.

The House has adjourned for the week, and they’ll return to the Capitol on Monday. Next week’s schedule will be light, except for Governor Mike Parson’s State of the State Address on Wednesday.

Speaker Haahr says about 800 House bills have been filed, adding that about 100 will be referred to committee this week. He expects House floor debate to begin during the week of January 20.

Sports betting and alleged illegal slots addressed in Missouri House committee report

December 3, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

Legislation legalizing sports wagering has the backing of a bipartisan Missouri House gaming committee.

State Rep. Dan Shaul, R-Imperial, speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on May 17, 2019 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

The Missouri House Special Interim Committee on Gaming held five hearings between late August and November, and completed its 15-page report on Monday. Committee Chairman State Rep. Dan Shaul, R-Imperial, tells Missourinet it’s now being circulated for signatures.

The committee report views the legalization of sports betting as a “legitimate opportunity to increase state revenues” for education and other programs. By 2020, 18 states will have implemented sports wagering. The report concludes that Missouri would likely lose revenue if it doesn’t remain competitive with other states.

The report also says the state should focus on preserving and growing both the Missouri Lottery and casino gaming, in order to increase revenue for education.

The state has 13 licensed riverboat casinos.

Chairman Shaul describes the report as a status report, to the full House.

“We want to give the General Assembly a set of facts, a set of baseline of where we’re at, and what some problems are out there,” Shaul says.

The report says age restrictions are important and should be used to prevent minors from gambling. The report also says the bulk of sports wagering revenues should be directed to fund education.

Major League Baseball (MLB) representative Jeremy Kudon traveled to Jefferson City in November to testify before the committee. He testifies that Missourians are expected to wager $5.5 billion annually on sports, if it’s legalized. Kudon predicts that casino operators would make about $376 million a year from that, and that Missouri would receive $37 million annually in taxes.

The report also addresses alleged illegal slot machines, which dominated discussion for hours at most of the five hearings.

The report presents facts and recaps testimony about the slot machines, and does not make a formal recommendation. Chairman Shaul told Missourinet after the final hearing in November that the issue is a concern, adding that people want to play these machines.

“So what do we do going forward, how do we thread the needle of good legislation that, one, protects Missouri businesses, protects Missouri consumers and allows people to do what they want at the same time,” Shaul said in November.

The report describes the alleged illegal slot machines as “grey machines”, noting Missouri likely has more than 14,000 of them.

Alleged illegal slots can be found in locations like bars, restaurants, gas stations and convenience stores. There is one pending criminal case in western Missouri’s Platte County, in the Kansas City area. The report says any judicial resolution “is unlikely prior to late 2021.”

Shaul has predicted at several hearings that the Platte County case will likely end up at the Missouri Supreme Court.

While there is no formal recommendation, the committee’s final report says “it may be desirable to act to regulate such machines immediately to resolve uncertainty and prevent further loss of revenue that could be used for educational purposes.” The report also says the problem of illegal gambling is not likely to resolve itself.

The report says the Missouri Lottery and the Missouri Gaming Commission have offered to provide assistance with regulation, enforcement and drafting of legislation to address the issue.

The report will go to House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, and the full House. Missouri lawmakers return to Jefferson City for the 2020 session on January 8.

Missouri Senate President Pro Tem to file slot machine legislation for 2020

November 14, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

The Missouri Senate leader will file legislation in December in Jefferson City to increase penalties for alleged illegal slot machines, setting the slot machine issue up as a major one for the 2020 legislative session.

Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz (R-Sullivan) visits the House chamber on May 17, 2019 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan, told Missourinet on Wednesday that his legislation will enhance the penalties for the alleged illegal slot machines, which are also known as video lottery terminals (VLTs).

They can be found in bars, restaurants, gas stations and convenience stores.

Missouri’s first criminal case involving the alleged illegal slots will go to trial in December in western Missouri’s Platte County.

Pro Tem Schatz says the Missouri Gaming Commission has received multiple reports of sites that have these machines. The Missouri State Highway Patrol testified in October that the number of complaints it’s received about illegal gambling has increased from 39 in 2018 to at least 145 this year.

Most of those complaints are about alleged illegal slots.

A Missouri House gaming committee has held five hearings since August, and the slot machine issue has dominated discussion at three of them. House Special Interim Committee on Gaming Chairman Dan Shaul, R-Imperial, predicts the slot machine issue will end up at the Missouri Supreme Court. He told the audience during an October hearing that whichever side loses the Platte County case will appeal.

Schatz’s proposal will likely face some opposition. During a committee hearing last week in Jefferson City, representatives from convenience stories and restaurants testified they support legislation to allow the machines in their establishments.

The company that operates 74 Break Time convenience stores in Missouri says video lottery terminals have saved convenience stores in other states.

MFA Oil Company vice president James Greer of Columbia tells state lawmakers that Break Time would probably use the terminals in 25 of their 74 stores, if Missouri lawmakers approve legislation to do so.

“We are open to a separate room. We are open to a cordoned-off area, we will live with whatever rule comes out of that,” Greer testifies.

The co-owner of six St. Louis-area restaurants also wants Missouri lawmakers to allow the VLTs in establishments like his, saying it will help restaurants attract new customers and keep up with minimum wage increases. Webster Groves resident Chris Marshall, who co-owns Llywelyn’s Pub, testified last week before the House gaming committee, saying the machines can also help managers invest money in restaurant renovations.

“In documents I have seen, the average restaurant in Illinois that has five video game machines can average additional revenue of approximately $5,000 per month,” Marshall testifies.

He tells lawmakers he’s had to close a restaurant and diversify. Llywelyn’s Pub has six St. Louis locations: Soulard, Webster Groves, St. Peters, St. Charles, O’Fallon and Wildwood.

But opponents say the machines are illegal and are hurting public education.

The Missouri Gaming Association, which represents the state’s 13 casinos, opposes legalizing the VLTs, saying they are illegal and bypass Missouri voters.

And the Missouri Lottery has testified that alleged illegal slot machines are hurting public education in the Show-Me State. Lottery executive director May Scheve Reardon testified in September, telling lawmakers there’s a major issue with the alleged illegal slots along the I-44 corridor, from St. James to Lebanon.

MLB: Missourians expected to wager $5.5 billion on sports, if it’s legalized

November 7, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

A representative from Major League Baseball (MLB) predicts Missourians will spend billions of dollars annually to bet on sports, if it’s legalized.

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

Jeremy Kudon traveled to Jefferson City to testify Thursday before the Missouri House Special Interim Committee on Gaming.

“According to the AGA’s Oxford report, Missouri bettors are expected to wager over $5.5 billion on sports, that’s about where New Jersey is right now,” Kudon testifies.

The AGA is the American Gaming Association. Kudon predicts casino operators would make about $376 million a year from that, and that Missouri would receive approximately $37 million annually in taxes.

Kudon also expresses some concerns, noting that MLB opposes allowing betting on spring training games.

“Where the Cardinals may have a plan for (pitcher) Adam Wainwright to throw curve balls the entire first inning, that’s a real-life thing,” Kudon tells lawmakers.

Kudon says he wants to see a bill that creates the best possible legal sports betting framework for Missouri. Kudon also represents the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the PGA Golf Tour.

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.

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. Ross, who serves on the interim committee, tells Missourinet he plans to file a similar but improved bill for 2020.

The National Football League (NFL) Players Association and the National Hockey League (NHL) Players Association also testified before the committee on Thursday.

The NFL Players Association is calling on Missouri to establish a hotline for players to call, if the state legalizes sports wagering. Players Association counsel Joe Briggs expressed some security concerns for players, during his testimony.

“So if I’m sitting at home and someone tries to drop a bag of cash on my doorstep to try to make sure that I play a certain way or not next week, who do I pick up the phone and call.” Briggs testified.

Briggs tells state lawmakers the hotline could be run by Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s office, the Missouri State Highway Patrol or the Gaming Commission.

While the bulk of Thursday’s hearing involved sports wagering, the committee also heard some testimony about alleged illegal slot machines. That’s been a major issue at previous hearings.

Committee Chairman Dan Shaul, R-Imperial, tells Missourinet the committee plans to submit a report to House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, by December 1.

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.

Shaul: will alleged illegal slots become Missouri’s next feral hog issue?

October 22, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

A Missouri House committee will hold its fourth hearing about alleged illegal slot machines on Thursday at the Statehouse in Jefferson City.

Missouri House Special Interim Committee on Gaming Chairman Dan Shaul, R-Imperial, speaks at a hearing on August 22, 2019 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

House Special Interim Committee on Gaming Chairman Dan Shaul, R-Imperial, tells Missourinet he believes this issue will end up at the Missouri Supreme Court, because of powerful interests on both sides.

“There’s going to be people that make a lot of money one way or the other, and it’s a lot of protection and the cost of going to the (Missouri) Supreme Court would be certainly less than what they would perceive would be won or lost through this process,” Shaul says.

He also believes the issue will be litigated in court for three or four years.

Alleged illegal slot machines can be found in bars, restaurants, gas stations and convenience stores. The number of complaints the Missouri State Highway Patrol has received about illegal gambling has almost quadrupled, from 39 in 2018 to 145 this year.

Chairman Shaul compares the growing problem of alleged illegal slots to a different issue the Missouri Department of Conservation has dealt with.

“Feral hogs weren’t a problem (in Missouri) ten years ago, we just had a little problem. Well, is this going to become the next feral hog issue in the state,” says Shaul.

The Highway Patrol has testified it only has two full-time investigators to handle illegal gambling complaints and that it’s had to pull investigators from other areas to assist.

The House Special Interim Committee on Gaming plans its fourth hearing Thursday at noon about slot machines, which are officially called “video lottery terminals.” The committee will also hear testimony about sports betting and fantasy sports.

The Missouri Prosecutors Association says the first criminal case in the state involving alleged illegal slots will go to trial in December in western Missouri’s Platte County.

The Missouri Gaming Commission has testified that any illegal gaming machines used in Missouri negatively impact casinos and the state Lottery, reducing taxes and funding for education and veterans.

Illegal gambling complaints in Missouri have almost quadrupled in one year

October 11, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

The Missouri State Highway Patrol testified Thursday in Jefferson City that the number of complaints it’s received about illegal gambling has increased from 39 in 2018 to 145 so far this year.

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

Most of those complaints are about alleged illegal slot machines. Highway Patrol Lieutenant Roger Phillips tells state lawmakers the Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control (DDCC) only has two full-time investigators to handle these complaints.

“In recent months, we’ve had such a volume of complaints that we’ve had to pull investigators from other assigned duties to come and help investigate these complaints,” Phillips testifies.

The Patrol’s DDCC is the Patrol’s criminal investigation bureau’s investigative branch. Phillips testified Thursday before the House Special Interim Committee on Gaming.

Alleged illegal slots can be found in bars, restaurants, gas stations and convenience stores.

The Missouri Prosecutors Association also testified at Thursday’s hearing. Prosecutors Association legal counsel Steve Sokoloff says the first criminal case in the state involving alleged illegal slots will go to trial in December in western Missouri’s Platte County.

“I think everybody is waiting to see once there’s a definitive statement I think you’ll find that there will be a lot more willingness to prosecute those cases,” says Sokoloff.

House Special Interim Committee on Gaming Chairman Dan Shaul, R-Imperial, predicts the alleged illegal slot machine issue will end up at the Missouri Supreme Court. Representative Shaul tells Mr. Sokoloff that whichever side loses the Platte County case will appeal.

“It’s a good chance it’s going to end up over here (across the street at the Missouri Supreme Court in Jefferson City). There’s enough money on each side of this argument,” Shaul tells Sokoloff.

“They’re going to try anyway, let’s put it that way,” Sokoloff responds.

“Either side, win or lose, they’re both,” Shaul says. “Right,” Sokoloff responds.

Sokoloff tells lawmakers that all gambling is illegal in Missouri by the Constitution, unless specifically provided for.

State Rep. Jeff Shawan, R-Poplar Bluff, says prosecutors in his southeast Missouri district are dealing with more important violent crime issues than slot machines.

The Missouri Gaming Association describes the slot machines in gas stations and truck stops as illegal, adding that they bypass Missouri voters. The Gaming Association opposes legalizing the video lottery terminals, saying Missouri casinos generated $370 million in state tax revenue in 2018.

The Missouri Gaming Commission has testified that any illegal gaming machines used in Missouri negatively impact casinos and the state Lottery, reducing taxes and funding for education and veterans.

The House committee’s next hearing will be its fourth, and is scheduled for October 24 at the Statehouse. It will be on sports betting.

Thursday’s Missouri House hearing on alleged illegal slots expected to draw crowd

October 9, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

The Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Missouri Prosecutors Association will testify Thursday in Jefferson City before a House gaming committee investigating the issue of alleged illegal slot machines.

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

A large crowd is expected to attend the House Special Interim Committee on Gaming hearing, which begins at noon at the Statehouse.

The committee will hear testimony from Missouri State Highway Patrol Lieutenant Justin McCullough and from Missouri Prosecutors Association legal counsel Steve Sokoloff.

During the committee’s last hearing in September, Missouri Lottery Executive Director May Scheve Reardon testified that illegal slot machines are hurting public education in the Show-Me State. She says the I-44 corridor has many of them, and told lawmakers about one Lottery sales representative whose territory goes from St. James to Lebanon.

“Down that I-44 corridor in six months, her route alone was down $800,000. That’s an estimated $3.2 million sales lost for six months,” Scheve Reardon testified on September 5.

Alleged illegal slot machines can be found in bars, restaurants, gas stations and convenience stores.

Committee Chairman Dan Shaul, R-Imperial, tells Missourinet that illegal slot machines cost Missouri education at least $50 million last year. He says the illegal machines “are everywhere” in the state and in his district in eastern Missouri’s Jefferson County.

“But I think what we have to worry about is not what happened last year, it’s what’s going to happen next year because this is not a plateau. We are going to continue to see the loss,” Chairman Shaul told Missourinet after the September hearing.

Missouri Gaming Commission Executive Director David Grothaus testified in August that any illegal gaming machines used in Missouri negatively impact casinos and the state Lottery, reducing taxes and funding for education and veterans. Grothaus has called for the state to develop a coordinated effort to stop illegal slot machines.

Grothaus notes there’s one pending criminal case in western Missouri’s Platte County, in the Kansas City area.

Thursday is also your first opportunity to testify before the committee, and House officials have encouraged those who want to testify to call ahead. The hearing is expected to last for two to three hours.

Anyone who wants to testify Thursday should call E.J. Fleischmann in Chairman Shaul’s office. That number is (573) 751-2504.