SB 1148 revises Missouri’s bingo licensing and taxation statutes by repealing the existing sections that imposed taxes on bingo cards and pull-tab cards and replacing them with a new version of section 313.057. The bill keeps the state’s licensing framework for bingo equipment and supplies manufacturers, suppliers, and hall providers, including application and renewal fees, criminal history checks for key persons, bonding authority, recordkeeping requirements, and commission oversight of delinquent accounts and credit sales.
The most significant substantive change is the removal of the prior tax provisions tied to bingo cards and pull-tab cards. The bill deletes the former tax language that directed bingo-related tax revenue to the bingo proceeds for education fund, while retaining requirements that pull-tab cards display their sale price and that their packaging ensure at least 60 percent of gross revenues are returned to final purchasers. In effect, the bill shifts the statute away from a tax-based structure for bingo card sales and toward a licensing-and-regulation framework.
Impact
SB 1148 would repeal sections 313.055 and 313.057 and enact a new section 313.057, thereby removing the statutory taxes previously imposed on bingo cards and pull-tab cards. This would eliminate the associated tax collection and remittance provisions and the related revenue stream to the bingo proceeds for education fund, while leaving the Missouri Gaming Commission’s regulatory authority over bingo manufacturers, suppliers, and hall providers intact. The bill also preserves and restates licensing fees, criminal background checks, record retention, and enforcement mechanisms affecting bingo-related businesses and organizations.
Sentiment
Based on the bill caption and the absence of recorded committee testimony or votes, the available context suggests the measure is primarily a technical or policy cleanup bill focused on repealing bingo card taxes rather than expanding gambling. The tone of the bill is regulatory and administrative, with no documented opposition or support in the provided materials. Because there are no transcripts or vote records, no clear partisan or stakeholder split can be identified from the available information.
Contention
The main point of contention implied by the bill is the repeal of taxes on bingo card sales and pull-tab cards, which would affect state revenue and the education fund that previously received those proceeds. Potentially affected parties include bingo suppliers, manufacturers, licensed bingo organizations, and state education interests that may have relied on the tax revenue. Another possible issue is whether removing the tax provisions while retaining price-display and payout requirements changes the balance between consumer protection, charitable gaming regulation, and state oversight, but no specific objections or endorsements are recorded in the provided materials.
Allows the chief law enforcement executive in any jurisdiction to request assistance from another jurisdiction, including a jurisdiction outside the state of Missouri