With some calling their 2022 failure an embarrassment amid sports wagering victories in other states like Kansas, representatives from the St. Louis Cardinals, the National Hockey League and other sports clubs urged a panel of lawmakers Wednesday to find a path forward after years of squabbling and inaction.

“We are literally surrounded by folks who can participate in this industry,” said Rep. Ashley Aune, D-Kansas City.

“We want to get this done,” said Rep. Dan Houx, R-Warrensburg, who is sponsoring a legalization proposal.

The discussion emerged at the House Emerging Issues Committee on Wednesday as members considered two bills that would put Missouri on par with other states where residents can place wagers on sporting events.

The bills, sponsored Houx and Rep. Phil Christofanelli, R-St. Peters, would impose a 10% tax rate on sports bets.

Revenue generated from betting would go to the state’s education fund. The Missouri Gaming Commission would oversee the program.

Each version would earmark at least $500,000 for compulsive gambling problems.

In testimony to the committee, Mike Whittle, vice president and general counsel for the St. Louis Cardinals, signaled support for the framework.

“The bills that are being presented are really reflective of the best practices,” Whittle said.

The labor unions representing players in the major sports leagues oppose the current version.

Steve Fehr, special counsel to the National Hockey League Players’ Association, said the safety of players should be taken into consideration in the legislation. In addition, he said players should not be penalized if they report potential wrongdoing.

“We regret we are in the position we are in,” said union attorney John Dalton.

The push is the latest in an ongoing effort to bring sports wagering to Missouri. In an illustration of the frustration some lawmakers have had with the roadblocks, more than a dozen lawmakers wore Kansas City Chiefs jerseys on the House floor Tuesday.

But, they acknowledged that if they want to bet on the Chiefs in their Super Bowl matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, they would have to travel to Kansas or Illinois to cast a wager.

Until a 2018 court case, full-scale sports betting was illegal in all states except Nevada. Some states moved quickly to get sports betting and its tax proceeds on the books.

The slow pace in Missouri triggered the formation last year of an alliance between the state’s casinos and sports teams. On Wednesday, the Missouri Gaming Association issued a statement calling for lawmakers to take action.

“Our own Kansas City Chiefs competing in the Super Bowl has heightened interest in sports betting, yet Missourians will have to leave the state to place a friendly wager or to place bets illegally,” said gaming association chief Mike Winter.

Figures compiled by GeoComply, which tracks attempts to place bets based on the location of a mobile phone, found that during the most recent National Football League season, 8.7 million attempts by Missourians to place bets in other states were blocked.

Of those, 46.3% tried to access sports books in Kansas, while 39.4% of tried to place bets in Illinois.

While six of Missouri’s eight neighboring states — Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and Tennessee — have legalized wagering, efforts to follow suit in the Show-Me State once again floundered in the Legislature last year.

When the General Assembly adjourned last spring, a high-profile push by six of the state’s professional sports teams and most of Missouri’s 13 casinos ended with a thud.

The House had acted quickly last year, but the measure ran aground in the Senate amid arguments over whether sports betting should be combined with the legalization of video gambling.

The legislation is House Bill 556.