Sports Betting
Professional sports teams in Missouri made one final effort to campaign for sports betting
Tuesday, November 5, is Election Day in the United States. In Missouri, Amendment 2 will be on the ballot. This will allow residents to determine whether sports betting is legalized. Recently, Winning for Missouri Education launched a major advertising campaign. They have support from several professional sports teams in Missouri.
That includes the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs, the MLB’s Kansas City Royals, and the NWSL’s Kanasa City Current. They collectively took out a full-page ad in the Kansas City Star to encourage residents to vote “Yes” to sports betting on Tuesday. Winning for Missouri Education estimates that a legal sports wagering market in the state could generate $100 million in revenue over the next five years.
With Winning for Missouri Education as the political action committee, some state revenue would go toward public schools. Amendment 2 requires $5 million per year to support the problem gambling fund. Residents in Missouri were already crossing state lines to wager or use an offshore market. Winning for Missouri Education has been working for a long time to try and legalize sports betting. It all comes down to Tuesday’s election.
What partnerships were made to try and legalize sports betting?
Over the last several months, FanDuel and DraftKings have donated over $25 million to Winning for Missouri Education. They helped tremendously in getting Amendment 2 on Tuesday’s ballot. If it does pass, 13 Missouri casinos and professional sports stadiums could launch retail and online sports betting. Two untethered licenses will be available as well.
The six professional sports teams backing Winning for Missouri Education will have the chance to partner with FanDuel or DraftKings. Former Kansas City Chiefs TE and pro football Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez supports the legalization of sports betting in Missouri. He was the star of a video advertisement asking voters to support Amendment 2 for the election on Tuesday, November, 5.
Where else does the legalization of sports betting in Missouri have support?
The MLB’s St. Louis Cardinals and the NHL’s St. Louis Blues ran a full-page ad last week in the St. Louis Dispatch. They asked for the support of voters who may not partake in sports wagering themselves. In the ad, they said the goal is to bring revenue back to the state that will help support the classrooms. Missourians were driving across state lines to Illinois to place sports wagers. That could all change on Tuesday if residents vote for Yes to Amendment 2 on the ballot.