Missouri House Committee on Gaming hears from industry officials about sports betting industry

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A representative for Major League Baseball made an appearance at Thursday's Missouri House Committee on Gaming hearing.

Jeremy Kudon of MLB was in Jefferson City for Thursday's hearing which began at noon.

The MLB is projected to make $1.106 billion from legal sports betting, according to a Nielsen report commissioned by the American Gaming Association. The report shows that $952 million of that revenue will come from revenue generated from increased fan engagement. Another $154 million is projecting to come from gaming revenue.

"I think our committee has done a very good job of doing what it was tasked to do, to find out what's going on in the industry and report back to the general assembly which, we plan on having that report on the speakers desk by the end of the month," said Rep. Dan Shaul, R-Imperial.

The committee is aiming to find a structure for legal sports betting in Missouri after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a law banning commercial sports betting last year. The committee held a hearing in October over investigations into illegal slot machines after complaints about illegal machines in convenience stores.

As such gaming terminals have popped up across the state, casinos and Missouri Lottery officials argue the machines are costing them millions of dollars.

Check back for updates from the hearing or watch ABC 17 News at 5.