Missouri Gov. Mike Parson ended all hopes for legal wagering in 2022 Monday when he announced that sports betting could not be voted on during a series of special sessions he called. In Missouri, a governor who calls a special session can dictate what topics will be discussed, and Parson never had legal sports betting in mind when he called the sessions to hammer out tax issues.
“Sports betting is clearly beyond the call and does not relate to Governor Parson's topics in the call,” Parson’s spokesperson, Kelli Jones, told the . “I do not anticipate sports betting being a part of special session.”
Rep. Dan Houx filed legislation last week in hopes of keeping alive the topic of legalized sports betting, after a measure passed the House'this year but was killed by filibuster in the Senate. The legislature is in a series of “extraordinary,” technical, and veto sessions. Parson called the extraordinary sessions in order to reach a resolution on an income tax break and tax credits related to agriculture. Lawmakers can still discuss legal wagering or any other topic, but they cannot vote on them.
Houx’s bill is similar to the one that passed the House earlier this year. It would allow for statewide mobile and retail wagering with platforms tethered to existing casinos and professional sports venues.