sports gambling

Bills to legalize sports betting in Missouri are stalled in the legislature, even a year after Kansas lawmakers signed off on gambling. Plus: Why Mexico’s president is trying to ban the import of genetically modified corn from the U.S.

During the past two legislative sessions, the Missouri House of Representatives has passed bills legalizing sports betting in the state. However, its continued failure to advance in the Senate could lead to the issue being decided by voters instead.

Legal sports betting in Kansas came with mobile casinos that offer easy access to place wagers online. Experts say that also comes with a higher risk of addiction.

When Kansas lawmakers legalized sports betting, they seemingly gave lobbyists for casinos everything they wanted. That includes tax exemptions on promotional bets that are aimed at getting bettors hooked.

The month the Chiefs won the Super Bowl, Kansans made $194 million in wagers. Yet the state only got $1,134 in revenue. That's because of how Kansas' new sports betting law is structured, which lets casinos write off significant promotional expenses.

The structure of tax laws set for sports betting in Kansas let casinos write off significant promotional expenses, including their "free" wagers.

The Senate had been moving at a glacial pace all week, imperiling major pieces of legislation for the GOP majority.

With just a day left before the Missouri legislative clock runs out, some of the bills left unfinished include one to legalize sports betting, another to create an open enrollment system for public schools, and a ballot item to raise the threshold to amend the Missouri Constitution.

The bills now move to the House. Meanwhile, legalizing sports betting is stalled in the Senate.

The Missouri legislative session is more than halfway done, and many different bills affecting schools are making their way through the capitol.

Supporters have tried since 2018 to legalize sports betting in Missouri, but the issue has become linked with video gaming terminals, which operate in a legal gray area in the state.

Missouri Senators left for spring break a day early because of a Democratic filibuster on legislation that would bar transgender minors from receiving gender-affirming health care. That bill is expected to be debated this week.