The 2026 legislative season will be better remembered for the bills that didn’t pass than those that did. Here are the three most notable bills that didn’t cross the finish line.
3. Missouri sports betting tax
The most recent state to legalize sports betting considered becoming the latest to raise the tax on sportsbooks.
Missouri lawmakers introduced a bill that would have raised the effective rate of 10% gross gaming revenue to 34%. That jump would have moved Missouri from below the national median to among the highest-tax states.
The bill gained little traction in the statehouse, but its introduction underscored lawmakers' increasing pressure on sportsbooks. For Missouri to introduce a bill just months after it launched legal sportsbooks shows political winds could be pushing for increased taxes in the years to come, especially if Show-Me State voters approve a ballot measure that would replace the state income tax with increased sales tax.
2. Oklahoma sports betting bill
After years of legislative stalemate, Oklahoma’s sports betting efforts seemed to have an unexpected revival. The newfound legalization push was defeated almost as quickly as it came back to life.
The Oklahoma Senate narrowly killed a bill to legalize retail sports betting on tribal gaming lands and mobile betting statewide.
Gaming tribes had resisted sports betting under prior efforts championed by Gov. Kevin Stitt, which expanded gaming license eligibility beyond the tribes. When the state legislature reached a deal that gave the state’s roughly three-dozen gaming tribes exclusive rights, it joined in support, helping proponents bring the bill to the Senate floor for a vote in April.
Despite tribal backing, there were still enough “no” votes to defeat the legislation. Several lawmakers voting no cited increased gambling addiction and other societal ills stemming from sports betting.
With Stitt's term limited and out of office in 2027, gaming tribes and sports betting proponents may come up with a new bill in next year’s session. But the anti-gambling sentiment remains in the statehouse, a political obstacle that must be overcome to bring legal sports betting to the state.
1. Virginia iCasino bill
The most promising iGaming legalization effort in years was passed by both chambers of the Virginia legislature. It still wasn’t able to pass into law.
Both the Virginia House and Senate narrowly passed separate versions of a bill that would have legalized real-money online slots and table games in the commonwealth. But the chambers could not reconcile a few key differences.
This was enough to kill the bill just short of passage.
Funding allocation differences were part of a group of concerns voiced by members of both parties in what had been a difficult and narrow path toward legalization. Concerns over impacts on Virginia’s growing brick-and-mortar casino industry, the state lottery, and gambling addiction were enough to siphon off significant numbers of lawmakers.
While the bill ultimately received enough votes to pass both chambers, the struggle in the final reconciliation process underscored the complex issues that have staved implementation in much of the country.
Only eight states have legalized online casinos, compared to 39 for U.S. sports betting. Virginia is a leading contender to pass new legislation in 2027, but this year’s difficult journey serves as a reminder of the obstacles ahead.
