Modifies provisions relating to gaming

ILLEGAL GAMING This act establishes the "Illegal Gaming Enforcement Fund", which shall consist of a portion of moneys generated from an administrative fee imposed on video lottery terminals authorized by the act. Moneys in the fund shall be used by the Attorney General, prosecutors, and law enforcement to investigate, enforce, charge, and prosecute illegal gaming in this state. (Section 27.180)

Current law authorizes the superintendent of the Highway Patrol to enter into an agreement with the Missouri Gaming Commission to enforce laws relating to gaming. This act authorizes the superintendent to also enter into such an agreement with the Missouri Lottery Commission. (Section 43.050)

The act modifies the definition of "advance gambling activity" to include conduct directed toward the creation or establishment of a gambling device. The act also provides that the term "gambling" does not include video lottery gaming authorized by the act. (Sections 572.010 and 572.100)

This act establishes the "Missouri Gaming Bureau" within the Department of Public Safety. The director of the Bureau shall be a uniformed member of the Highway Patrol, and the Bureau may contract with the Missouri Gaming Commission and the Missouri Lottery Commission for criminal and regulatory investigations involving excursion gambling boats and video lottery gaming authorized by the act. Members of the Bureau shall be paid from funds designated as administrative within the State Lottery Fund. (Section 650.930)

VIDEO LOTTERY GAMING This act establishes the "Missouri Video Lottery Regulatory Act".

This act allows the State Lottery Commission to implement a system of video lottery game terminals and to issue licenses to video lottery game manufacturers, distributors, operators, handlers, and retailers. The Commission shall not allow a single vendor or licensee to be responsible for implementing the program. (313.429.1)

Video lottery game terminals may be placed in any video lottery game retailer's location, as such term is defined in the act. (Section 313.427)

Video lottery game terminals shall be connected to a central control system developed or procured by the Commission. No video lottery game terminal shall be placed in operation without first being connected to such centralized computer system, and shall remain connected at all times. Video lottery game terminals shall meet the standards provided for in the act. (Section 313.429.2(14))

The Commission shall impose a non-refundable application fee, as described in the act. The initial license shall be for a period of one year. Thereafter, the license renewal period shall be four years with the applicable license renewal fee paid for each year such license is renewed, as described in the act. In addition to such license fees, video lottery game operators shall pay the Department of Revenue an annual administrative fee of $1,000 for each video lottery game terminal placed in service. No license shall be issued to any person who has been convicted of a felony or crime involving illegal gambling. (Section 313.429.3)

Video lottery game operators and video lottery game retailers shall enter into a use agreement for the placement of video lottery game terminals, as described in the act. The agreement shall specify an equal division of net terminal income after adjustments for taxes and administrative fees are made. Video lottery game operators and video lottery game retailers are prohibited from offering anything of value other than the percentage of adjusted gross receipts for the placement of video lottery terminals. (Section 313.429.4)

Video lottery game operators shall pay winning tickets using a video lottery game ticket redemption terminal, which shall be located within the video lottery game retailer's establishment in direct proximity of where such video lottery games are offered. Unredeemed video lottery game tickets shall expire after 180 days of issue. (Section 313.429.8)

The price of video lottery game terminal credits shall be determined by the Commission, and the maximum wager played per video lottery game shall not exceed $4.00. No cash award for the maximum wager played on any individual lottery game shall exceed one dollar less than the maximum amount allowable by federal law before tax withholding is required. (Section 313.429.10(1))

Operators shall not operate more than eight terminals at any one video lottery game retailer location. (Section 313.429.10(2))

A person under the age of twenty-one shall not play video lottery games. Video lottery game operators shall have a video surveillance system within the immediate area of the retailer's establishment where video lottery game terminals are located. (Section 313.429.11(1) and (2))

Video lottery game operators shall pay to the Commission thirty-one percent of the video lottery game adjusted gross gaming revenue. The Commission shall retain an amount necessary to cover administrative expenses, and the remainder shall be appropriated equally to public elementary and secondary education and public institutions of higher education, as described in the act. (Section 313.429.12)

Video lottery game operators shall pay to the Department of Revenue an additional "municipality and county administration tax" of three percent of the video lottery game adjusted gross gaming revenue. The Department shall distribute such funds to the cities and counties in which video lottery gaming terminals are located. (Section 313.429.13)

The Commission shall procure a centralized computer system no later than 180 days following the effective date of the act, and shall establish start and operational dates as described in the act. (Section 313.431)

Participation in the state lottery under this act shall not be construed to be a lottery or gift enterprise in violation of Article III, Section 39 of the Constitution of Missouri. (Section 313.433)

This act allows municipalities and counties to adopt ordinances permitting or prohibiting video lottery game terminals within the municipality or the unincorporated area of the county. (Section 313.435)

The act requires the Commission to prescribe an application form for licensure, which shall include information as described in the act. The Commission shall require every licensee to post a bond, a bonding fee, or a letter of credit in an amount determined by the Commission. Licenses granted by the Commission shall be nontransferable. The Commission shall revoke a license upon certain findings described in the act. A person who knowingly makes a false statement on an application shall be guilty of a class A misdemeanor. (Section 313.438)

The act empowers the Commission to administer oaths, subpoena witnesses, and require production of documents and records, as described in the act. (Section 313.442)

The act contains a severability clause. (Section 313.445)

These provisions are substantially similar to SB 850 (2026), SB 851 (2026), HCS/HB 2989 (2026), SB 16 (2025), SB 73 (2025), SB 112 (2025), SB 192 (2023), SB 557 (2023), SB 574 (2023), HB 699 (2023), SB 642 (2022), SB 686 (2022), SB 19 (2021), SB 319 (2021), HB 1014 (2021), SB 566 (2020), SB 43 (2019), and SB 452 (2017), and to provisions in SB 824 (2024), SB 1083 (2024), SB 1021 (2024), HB 2921 (2024), SB 1 (2023), SB 906 (2022), SS/HCS/HBs 2502 & 2556 (2022), HB 2080 (2022), SCS/SB 98 (2021), HB 915 (2021), SS#3/SCS/SB 44 (2019), and SS/SCS/SB 767 (2018), and are similar to HB 990 (2017).

EXCURSION GAMBLING BOAT ADMISSION FEE Current law requires excursion gambling boat licensees to pay an admission fee of $2 per person, with $1 deposited to the Gaming Commission Fund and the remaining $1 paid to the home dock city or county. This act increases such fee to $4 per person, and allocates the additional $2 to the Missouri Veterans Commission. (Section 313.820) JOSH NORBERG