Online Gambling, Poker Presented In New Missouri Bill

By Giovanni Shorter | March 8, 2021
Missouri Capitol
  • New online gambling bill in Missouri has been filed in the House of Representatives.
  • The bill has been presented by Republican Rep. Dan Houx.
  • The bill includes online poker as well.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri gamblers may soon have access to a regulated online market if a new online gambling bill passes through.

The bill is backed by Republican Rep. Dan Houx and will see both online gambling, as well as online poker, come to the Show Me State.

The goal is to bring legal online gambling for Missouri residents  into law and launch the market in 2021. The bill will first need to be reviewed and voted on in the House before moving on to the Senate.

Online Gambling In Missouri

HB 1364 is the bill in question and it includes online slots, poker, blackjack, table games, and many other casino-based operations.

Currently, Missouri only allows for games of skill to occur, such as DFS but this bill would like to bring all forms of casino gambling to the Show Me State.

With a new legal gambling, Missouri officials hope to see an added influx of steady revenue from online casinos.

Online gambling has grown in the country and is the primary way players place action in many of the major markets such as New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Missouri could potentially see similar success in the online space.

Online poker was initially not included in the bill, but provisions for online poker to be legalized were made before the bill was presented to the House.

There is optimism surrounding the bill passing in the House, but this will only be the first hurdle before legal online gambling can come to Missouri.

If the bill passes in the House, the Senate will then review and vote. Assuming the senate makes alterations to the bill, it would have to be returned to the House for another vote.

Should both the Senate and House agree, the Governor would be the next hurdle, as the Governor has the power to veto any bill.

The bill is in its earliest stage, but this is still good news for gamblers in Missouri.

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