Published: August 28, 2021

New lottery and gaming laws in Missouri take effect Saturday

Two laws go into effect at midnight on Saturday, Aug. 28.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) - Right now, both the Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots are worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

If you’re lucky enough to win one, beginning at midnight Saturday, you won’t have to reveal your name.

Up until now, any big winners were required to release info, including their name, to the public.

If the lottery is not your thing, but you do like to gamble, we’ve got some good news for you on that as well.

The change in the law allows for casinos to convert to non-floating facilities, something that up until now was only the allowance of floating facilities.

They have to be within 1,000 feet of either the Missouri or Mississippi River. But there is a stipulation if they do convert to non-floating.

“Now, they still have to maintain 2,000 gallons of Mississippi or Missouri river water in or about on the facility,” said Mike Leara, Chairman of the Missouri Gaming Commission. “So not necessarily under the gaming floor, which makes it much easier for these facilities to maintain their gaming floor.”

This would potentially allow casinos to expand in size, but by law the total number of licenses granted by the state remains at the current 13.

“Lake of the Ozarks [or] Springfield, Missouri, something like that, I just don’t see that viable without a change in the constitution, or at a minimum, statutes expanding the number of licenses,” said Leara.

Any casino wanting to make the transition to a non-floating facility must petition the Missouri Gaming Commission and gain approval before any changes could be made.

https://www.ky3.com/2021/08/27/new-lottery-gaming-laws-missouri-take-effect-saturday/

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