- Joined
- Jan 14, 2008
- Messages
- 63,667
SOURCE
Kansas and Missouri discussed bills to legalize sports gambling and video gambling during session this year, but neither passed them.
Now, a new group of Missouri lawmakers are figuring out the future of gambling and fixing issues with gray areas.
“I don’t think the question is if we’ll do it,” Rep. Wes Rogers (D – Kansas City), said. “I think it’s when and how we’ll do it.”
Rogers is part of a committee that met for the first time last week with the goal of making recommendations to the Legislature on how to handling gambling.
Illinois, Arkansas and Iowa recently legalized Sports Betting.
“There’s a bipartisan appetite for it. The casinos want it,” he said.
The committee is also going over video lottery terminals or VLTs.
VLTs recently seized at two Platte County convenience stores are now part of a criminal case testing Missouri’s laws against video gambling.
“There’s no question that these machines are cropping up all over the state of Missouri,” Platte County prosecutor Eric Zahnd said. “What we really need to do is determine what Missouri is going to permit. What’s it’s going to prohibit and be clear about it.”
One issue is Missouri’s Gaming Commission only regulates legal gambling, like casinos, and the Department of Public Safety can’t seize machines, so it’s left up to local law enforcement to handle the industry.
“That’s the real gray area right now,” Zahnd said. “There’s a real question of how do we enforce these Missouri laws.”
“The current structure we have is just not capable of taking these on,” Rogers said.
With four casinos in or near his district, Rogers is opposed to the machines.
“I think they’re bad for the state,” He said. “VLTs would be catastrophic to many people in my district and I’m going to do what I can to protect our jobs.”
Kansas and Missouri discussed bills to legalize sports gambling and video gambling during session this year, but neither passed them.
Now, a new group of Missouri lawmakers are figuring out the future of gambling and fixing issues with gray areas.
“I don’t think the question is if we’ll do it,” Rep. Wes Rogers (D – Kansas City), said. “I think it’s when and how we’ll do it.”
Rogers is part of a committee that met for the first time last week with the goal of making recommendations to the Legislature on how to handling gambling.
Illinois, Arkansas and Iowa recently legalized Sports Betting.
“There’s a bipartisan appetite for it. The casinos want it,” he said.
The committee is also going over video lottery terminals or VLTs.
VLTs recently seized at two Platte County convenience stores are now part of a criminal case testing Missouri’s laws against video gambling.
“There’s no question that these machines are cropping up all over the state of Missouri,” Platte County prosecutor Eric Zahnd said. “What we really need to do is determine what Missouri is going to permit. What’s it’s going to prohibit and be clear about it.”
One issue is Missouri’s Gaming Commission only regulates legal gambling, like casinos, and the Department of Public Safety can’t seize machines, so it’s left up to local law enforcement to handle the industry.
“That’s the real gray area right now,” Zahnd said. “There’s a real question of how do we enforce these Missouri laws.”
“The current structure we have is just not capable of taking these on,” Rogers said.
With four casinos in or near his district, Rogers is opposed to the machines.
“I think they’re bad for the state,” He said. “VLTs would be catastrophic to many people in my district and I’m going to do what I can to protect our jobs.”
