The Missouri Gaming Commission has hired Mike Leara, who has served as Chairman of the commission since August 2019, to replace Peggy Richardson as its ninth Executive Director.

Leara was a representative for the 96th District in the House of Representatives from 2009 to 2017 and was the Vice Chairmain on the Board of Trustees for the Missouri State Employee Retirement System. Gov. Mike Parson appointed Leara as the State Supervisor for the Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control in July 2023.

There could be busy times ahead for the Missouri Gaming Commission, with the parent company of DraftKings recently investing $3.5 million to encourage voters to back a sports betting initiative in the November ballot.

While the debate on sports betting continues, Missouri casinos continue to collect steady revenues, with the Missouri Gaming Commission reporting a slight increase of 0.3 percent month over month in June. Many U.S. casinos saw a drop in casino revenues during July, so Missouri bucked this trend.

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