JEFFERSON CITY — Missouri’s new House Speaker on Wednesday expressed a willingness to consider rules for unregulated video slot machines that have proliferated across the state.
“If there’s something that can be fixed to protect Missouri’s consumers, I’m open to that,†House Speaker Dean Plocher, R-Des Peres, told reporters in response to a question about the devices.
Unlike regulated gambling, no proceeds from the video slot machines are diverted to education. There are no government-sanctioned resources for addicted gamblers or rules to protect consumers from low payouts.
Missouri requires that gambling devices pay out at least 80% of what gamblers wager.
“I would support what’s best for the consumer and as this legislation goes through the process, as the testimony comes forward regarding those machines that are in those — those places, we’ll take that under advisement and see what we can do,†Plocher said.
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“The Missouri consumer is important. They don’t need to be misled,†he said. “We need to have continuity of laws. I think we need to have responsible legislation that manages the products that Missourians are buying.â€
Past debate around the machines has revolved around whether to clearly outlaw them and ban operators convicted of illegal gambling from participating in any legal expansion of video lottery terminals.
With companies declaring that their machines aren’t gambling devices under Missouri law, such legislation has failed for years.
Its two main backers — former Sens. Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan, and Dan Hegeman, R-Cosby — are now out of the Legislature due to term limits.
Plocher signaled he was comfortable with a patchwork of enforcement across the state.
If legislators take up gaming legislation, “I leave that up to local prosecutors, to a degree, as to whether or not they deem those games legal or just,†said Plocher, who has been mentioned as a possible candidate for attorney general in 2024.
His comments on local prosecutions mostly align with current Attorney General Andrew Bailey, who was sworn in on Tuesday.
“That is an issue that’s up to local law enforcement investigators and local prosecutors,†said Bailey, who was appointed to the vacant post by Gov. Mike Parson.
In past years, plans to institute a statewide crackdown on the unregulated games have died amid a stalemate over any gambling legislation, including sports wagering and video lottery terminals.
Bills to address the machines have also died amid lobbying by lobbyists for Torch Electronics, one of the largest purveyors of unregulated games in Missouri.
Torch employs Strategic Capitol Consulting, headed by former House Speaker Steve Tilley.
The firm this week announced it had hired Alec Rosenblum, son of Clayton attorney Scott Rosenblum, as its general counsel. The younger Rosenblum registered as a lobbyist for Torch on Tuesday.
“I look forward to working with him as he leads and develops our elite legal division,†said Tom Robbins, partner of Strategic Capitol Consulting, in a news release.