Missouri sports betting took a key step toward being on the November ballot

This past Tuesday, the Missouri Secretary of State’s office received the Missouri sports betting ballot petition signature reports from local election authorities. The Missouri sports betting initiative is working diligently to get a spot on the November ballot. However, it could take up to two weeks until an official decision is made. Their next step is to wait for the Secretary of State’s office to determine the sufficiency of the petition. They have until August 13 to make a decision. The Winning for Missouri Education group has been campaigning since last fall for sports legislation to be passed in the state. 

In January, they began collecting signatures and they had to hit a minimum of 170,000. Ahead of the deadline on May 5, Winning for Missouri Education had collected 340,000 signatures. Local election authorities had until this past Tuesday to verify the signatures the coalition received. The Secretary of State’s office must ensure there are a sufficient number of valid signatures before it’s officially on the ballot. DraftKings and FanDuel helped raise $6.5 million for the coalition and they used $6 million to help secure the signatures needed.

How has Missouri sports legislation failed in the past?

Winning for Missouri Education has the support from several professional sports team in the area. That includes the Kansas City Royals, the St. Louis Blues, and the St. Louis Cardinals. Sports betting legislation passed in the House in 2022 and 2023. However, Senator Denny Hoskins made sure to kill the issue once it was in the Senate. The bill died in the House in 2024 because Hoskins wanted to add video lottery terminals to the state. Once he found out that would not be happening, he pledged to be an “obstructionist.” We’ll have to see what happens over the next two weeks to see if sports betting legalization is on the November ballot. 

The sports betting proposal creates in-person and online betting licenses for the 13 casinos and six professional sports teams. Missouri’s Gaming Commission would be eligible to issue two standalone online sportsbook licenses. There would be a 10% tax on sports betting revenue in the state. The Winning For Missouri Education campaign has estimated that “tens of millions” could be made annually. Sports betting has been profitable in several states that already have it legalized. Missouri is looking to be the next.