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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Legal sports betting could be coming to the state of Missouri. At the state capitol on Thursday, the Interim House Committee on Gaming hosted major league sports officials to talk about the industry.

Lawmakers have been debating for more than two years about allowing legal sports betting in the state. On Thursday, they had a lot of questions about the process and some concerns, such as how they would make sure people aren’t betting across state lines, from a state where it’s not legal.

Another concern at the state capitol was that a sports betting industry could open up athletes and team staff to threats and bribes.

“I think our committee has done a very good job of doing what it was tasked to do, to find out what’s going on in the industry and report back to the general assembly which, we plan on having that report on the speakers desk by the end of the month,” said Rep. Dan Shaul (R-Imperial), who is the chairman of the house committee.

A gambling industry consultant told a panel of lawmakers in Jefferson City that legal sports betting could generate up to $289 million in wagers once fully operational.