The Show-Me State will get the chance to show the world how it feels about sports betting.
A ballot initiative will go in front of voters in November, after a court ruling that shot down an attempt to have it disqualified.
Jack Cardetti, spokesperson for the Winning for Missouri Education that backs Amendment 2, issued the following statement on the court’s decision:
“Today’s ruling, while expected, is nevertheless a big victory for Missourians, who overwhelmingly want to join the 38 other states that allow sports betting, so that we can provide tens of millions in permanent, dedicated funding each year to our public schools. For too many years, Missourians have watched as fans cross state lines to place sports 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.”
Validation of Signatures Came Into Question
Two residents wanted the sports betting amendment removed from the ballot. They were claiming the signatures collected for the petition to get it on the ballot were invalid. Questioned the verification process and wanted hundreds of approvals removed. They presented 768 signatures they wanted the court to invalidate. Their arguments were that the signatures didn’t match the voters, the addresses didn’t align with those on file, or the individuals were ineligible to vote.
The court dismissed the credibility of the plaintiffs’ paid handwriting expert. The main reason was that the expert had no prior knowledge of the voters’ signatures in question. The judge dismissed their lawsuit. Now the secretary of state’s office has verified the signatures needed and issued a certificate of sufficiency. Citizens officially can head to the polls in November to vote on the issue.
Now It’s Up to Missouri Voters
A recent Saint Louis University/YouGov poll shows that 50% of voters plan to vote “yes” on the measure. Meanwhile, 30% of voters are against it, and the rest are undecided.
In the last two years, Missourians have been polled several times about legal sports betting. Registered voters supported legalization in the three most recent polls, even though two earlier polls didn’t show much hope.
If approved on November 5, the Missouri Constitution will be amended to permit licensed sports wagering regulated by the Missouri Gaming Commission and restrict sports betting to individuals physically located in the state and over the age of 21.
Missouri’s sports teams and casinos can get legal sports betting licenses. This amendment would grant betting licenses to the Kansas City Chiefs, Royals, Cardinals, Kansas City Current, Blues, and St. Louis City SC, as well as the state’s 13 casino operators and two online betting platforms. Each casino and sports team can partner with one online sports betting operator.
The state’s education system will benefit from a 10% tax on net revenues. If voters approve the amendment, state regulators would be required to launch sports betting by December 1, 2025.
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