The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Missouri Senate Bill 851 Establishes the Video Lottery Control Act and Sets Regulatory Framework
Last action · February 23, 2026: Re-referred S Select Committee on GamingSponsor: Karla May
Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.
What This Bill Would Do
Senate Bill 851 establishes the Missouri Video Lottery Control Act, allowing the State Lottery Commission to license video lottery game manufacturers, distributors, operators, handlers, and retailers, and to regulate player-activated video terminals across approved establishments.
The bill creates a statewide regulatory and licensing structure for video lottery terminals in licensed liquor-selling establishments, directing a portion of adjusted gross receipts to public education and workforce development while permitting municipalities and counties to opt out via ordinance within 120 days.
- The Missouri General Assembly considers legislation governing state lottery operations and electronic gaming terminals under chapter 313 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Video lottery game operators
Operators must obtain licenses, pay terminal and gross receipt fees, connect terminals to a centralized computer system, and enter into written agreements with retailers.
Video lottery game retailers
Retail establishments must maintain liquor licenses, enter into placement agreements with operators, provide surveillance and intrusion detection systems, and comply with age-restriction supervisions.
Public elementary and secondary education and higher education institutions
Educational institutions receive net proceeds appropriated from the lottery proceeds fund with an emphasis on STEM and workforce development programs.
Municipalities and counties
Local governments receive administrative expense percentages from adjusted gross receipts and retain the authority to prohibit video lottery terminals locally within 120 days.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible to operate video lottery terminals under this bill?
Can local governments ban video lottery terminals in their areas?
Where do the revenues generated from video lottery terminals go?
What are the age restrictions for playing video lottery games?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Check Your Understanding
1.According to bill version 4409S.01I, what action may a municipality or county commission take regarding video lottery game terminals?
2.According to bill version 4409S.01I, what restriction does the bill place on persons under twenty-one years of age regarding video lottery games?
3.According to bill version 4409S.01I, what is the lottery commission authorized to implement regarding video lottery games?
Follow the record
Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
4 actions- Feb 23, 2026SenateRe-referred S Select Committee on Gaming
- Jan 8, 2026SenateFloorSecond Read and Referred S Appropriations Committee
- Jan 7, 2026SenateIntroducedS First Read
- Dec 1, 2025SenatePrefiled
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. The text on record is the 4409S.01I - Introduced version. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Establishment of Statewide Video Lottery Framework
The bill shifts state policy by permitting player-activated video lottery terminals across a wide variety of retail liquor-licensed establishments under strict commission oversight.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.senate.mo.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance85How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy75Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment20Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz60Current news / social attention level
Publisher tools