After a lawsuit was denied, Missouri sports betting remains on the November ballot

For months, legislators in Missouri have been working diligently to get sports betting on the November 2024 ballot. Along the way, several hurdles have delayed the process. This past Friday, Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel R. Green ruled in favor of Secretary of State John Ashcroft. That means sports betting will stay on the November ballot, and all residents in Missouri will be able to have their say. Green mentioned how those against sports betting have tried to remove it from the November ballot. However, they haven’t been able to provide sufficient evidence to prove why sports betting shouldn’t be legalized. On Tuesday, Missouri will finalize its ballot for November. Jack Cardetti, a spokesperson for Winning for Missouri Education, has this to say.

“For too many years, Missourians have watched as fans cross state lines to place sport bets, which deprives our Missouri public schools of much needed funding. A vote for Amendment 2 in November will bring those dollars back to Missouri classrooms.” – said Cardetti

Who was against sports betting being legalized in Missouri?

The origins of the lawsuit against sports betting in Missouri are truly unknown. All we know is that the main plaintiff Jacqueline Wood said she brought the request for the suit to her lawyers. Blake Lawrence is the other main plaintiff in this case. Jacqueline Wood and himself are political consultants who mainly work with Democratic clients. Mr. Marc Ellinger is the Chairman of the Republican National Lawyers Association. He led the team of attorneys behind the plaintiffs. In the past, Ellinger has represented the Missouri Gaming Association but they decided to stay quiet during this sports betting ballot initiative. Despite their best efforts, sports betting in Missouri is staying on the November ballot. The lawsuit challenged the process of how Winning For Missouri Education collected over 370,000 signatures. Marc Ellinger focused on the 1st Congressional District and argued several hundred signatures were invalid. During the case, Ellinger called multiple witnesses to help explain and demonstrate the illegitimacy of signatures Winning for Missouri Education collected.

What are the final steps Missouri needs to take to get sports betting fully legalized?

Once sports betting is officially on the November ballot, the process is rather simple. There will be a yes/no question asking residents if they want sports betting fully legalized. A simple majority of the votes is needed to allow retail and online sportsbooks to start operating in the state. DraftKings and FanDuel are expected to help lead the way this fall for one final push to get sports betting legalized. The two industry operators are at the top of the U.S. market.