Missouri sports betting ballot campaign surpasses 300,000 signatures

Legalized sports betting in Missouri edged closer after the ‘Winning for Missouri Education’ campaign to bring sports betting to the Show Me state collected over 300,000 signatures.

For a sports betting initiative to be placed in November’s general election ballot the petition was required to secure 180,000 signatures by May 5, a threshold that has been well exceeded. 

Winning for Missouri Education reached its 100,000 signature landmark at the end of February, with momentum continuing to snowball as the year progresses.

That same month, House Bill 2331 was passed by the state’s House of Representatives Rules Committee. However, it has since stalled in the lower chamber, with the legislative session set to adjourn on May 17.

Winning for Missouri Education spokesperson Jack Cardetti said the increased signature count shows the state is ready to legalize sports betting.

He said: “The tremendous support we’ve seen throughout the state is a testament to Missourians’ readiness to bring sports betting revenue home and support our local schools, students, and teachers in the process.

“As the campaign approaches our goal of putting this on the November ballot, Missouri is a step closer to allowing Missouri adults to bet on sports, while generating tens of millions in annual funding for our classrooms.”

Bills to legalize sports betting have passed through the Missouri House before but have failed at the Senate.

Senator Tony Luetkemeyer filed Senate Bill 852 at the start of January, which would have seen riverboat casinos and professional sports teams serve as primary license holders, with riverboats being able to partner with three online operators while teams would be allowed one apiece.

Under SB 852, licenses would have cost $10,000, renewable every four years, with gross operator tax standing at 12%.

A second bill, SB 824, brought forward by Senator Denny Hoskins at the same time and was similar to SB 852, however, it differed in a proposed lower tax rate, 10%, and a focus on video lottery terminals.

The latter is deemed to be a sticking point, with Hoskins seen as the person responsible for derailing successful legalization in the state, with comments reported by industry news site LSR (Legal Sports Report) noting Hoskins’ remark: “I’ll be an obstructionist until I get my way.”

Regulation has the support of several sports teams across the state including Major League Baseball (MLB) franchises Kansas City Royals and the St Louis Cardinals, National Football League (NFL) champions Kansas City Chiefs, and National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) team Kansas City Current.

It is also supported by operators such as FanDuel and DraftKings, that have donated more than $2m towards the Missouri sports betting ballot initiative.