Repeals the tax imposed on the sale of bingo cards
Summary
HB985 repeals two existing Missouri statutes, sections 313.055 and 313.057, and replaces them with a new section governing bingo equipment and supplies manufacturers, suppliers, and hall providers. The bill removes the tax previously imposed on the sale of bingo cards and pull-tab cards, while preserving and reorganizing the licensing framework for businesses that manufacture, sell, lease, or distribute bingo equipment and supplies. It also continues to require criminal history checks for key persons associated with license applicants when the commission determines a nationwide check is warranted.
The bill sets application and renewal fees for supplier, manufacturer, and hall provider licenses, with the fee amounts capped in statute and deposited into the gaming commission fund. It also maintains rules on annual license expiration, recordkeeping, commission inspection authority, and procedures for dealing with delinquent payments between suppliers, manufacturers, and bingo organizations. In effect, the measure shifts the statutory focus away from taxing bingo card sales and toward regulating the licensing and business practices of the bingo supply industry.
Impact
HB985 would eliminate the specific tax provisions tied to bingo card and pull-tab card sales and repeal the prior tax-related sections of Missouri bingo law. At the same time, it would preserve and update the regulatory structure for bingo equipment and supplies by establishing licensing requirements, fee schedules, criminal background review procedures, and enforcement mechanisms for the Missouri Gaming Commission. The bill would affect bingo suppliers, manufacturers, hall providers, and licensed bingo organizations, and would redirect collected license fees to the gaming commission fund rather than maintaining the repealed bingo card tax structure.
Sentiment
Based on the bill caption and the absence of recorded committee debate or votes in the provided materials, the available context suggests the measure was presented as a technical or policy change to remove the bingo card sales tax while retaining regulatory oversight of the bingo industry. There is no documented opposition or support in the supplied transcripts, so the overall sentiment cannot be measured from debate history. The bill text itself indicates a neutral administrative approach focused on restructuring rather than expanding bingo taxation.
Contention
The main point of contention inherent in the bill is the repeal of the tax on bingo card sales and pull-tab cards, which would reduce a dedicated revenue stream previously credited to the bingo proceeds for education fund. Potentially affected parties include bingo suppliers, manufacturers, licensed organizations, and any stakeholders tied to education funding from bingo-related taxes. Another possible issue is the continued imposition of licensing fees and criminal background checks, which may be viewed as regulatory burdens by industry participants even as the tax is removed. No specific objections or supporters are recorded in the provided discussion materials.