Missouri lets my restaurant sell scratcher tickets. Why not offer video lotto machines?
Owning and operating a small business is harder and more expensive than ever in this economic climate. Small businesses everywhere are facing higher prices for products and services while working to keep prices stable for our customers.
We need the Missouri legislature to take action on policies that will help small businesses and local communities by allowing us to expand our offerings to the customers we serve. One simple solution is for the General Assembly to pass legislation allowing small businesses like mine to offer video lottery game terminals in our establishments.
After 15 years in the U.S. Army, including military service for our country on three continents, I returned home to St. Joseph following a service-connected injury. I bought First Ward House, a historic American bar and grill that we believe is the oldest saloon west of the Mississippi. Our customers come for the food and drinks — but also for the entertainment, including live music, our coin-operated attractions such as our jukebox, pool tables and dart boards, and our Missouri Lottery scratchers.
Our small business is constantly evolving and modernizing, and we want to include the next generation of entertainment at our location. This is why we and many other small businesses want to expand our recreational offerings to include video lottery terminals. That would require the Missouri General Assembly to take action in the upcoming legislative session to create the necessary regulatory framework.
That framework for video lottery machines should not limit these games to just a handful of communities in select locations — it should benefit communities across Missouri, with new revenue for small businesses and new tax proceeds for local municipalities.
We are lucky to have a casino in my home city of St. Joseph, but hundreds of communities across our state do not have easy access to this entertainment. My town should have more than one option for gaming recreation. Allowing video gaming terminals would also provide betting opportunities for more rural Missourians, instead of restricting where responsible entertainment can take place.
In addition to helping small businesses on Main Streets across Missouri, the earnings generated by video lottery terminals would create a new and significant revenue stream going to education for our kids. Without these machines, Missouri would miss out on this money.
As a veteran, I am especially excited about the new revenue that video gaming machines would help generate for Missouri veterans. VFW posts and other pro-veteran lodges, halls and clubs could leverage this entertainment option to help provide more to veterans with services such as health care, housing and other support.
I encourage the Missouri legislature to support video lottery game terminals and create this new revenue source for education, veterans and our local communities.