Missouri Validates Signatures for Statewide Sports Betting Referendum
The office of Missouri State Secretary Jay Ashcroft is currently validating over 340,000 signatures submitted by the Winning for Missouri Education campaign.
Polling Insights
Recent polling by Emerson College and The Hill indicates a close outcome for the referendum if it reaches voters. The survey found that 38% of likely voters would support the measure, 35% would oppose it, and 26% are undecided.
Matt Taglia, the senior director of the poll, suggests that proponents of legal sports betting in Missouri may need to refine their campaign strategy.
He highlighted that while there is a general support for the idea, many voters may not fully understand the specifics.
The Winning for Missouri Education campaign is backed by Missouri’s professional sports teams, including the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs, MLB’s Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals, NHL’s St.
Louis Blues, and MLS’s Kansas City Current and St. Louis City soccer clubs. Major sports betting companies DraftKings and FanDuel are also significant financial supporters.
Taglia commented, “There’s some messaging work to do here if you’re on the side of passing sports betting in Missouri. I don’t think folks necessarily know what all it entails but a lot of them are, in principle, supportive of the idea.”
Details of the Referendum
The referendum proposes allowing sportsbooks at Missouri’s 13 riverboat casinos, with these venues also being able to operate online sports wagering platforms. Additionally, professional sports stadiums and arenas in the state would have the privilege to run both retail and online sportsbook operations. The Missouri Gaming Commission would be authorized to issue two online sportsbook licenses not tied to any riverboat or sports stadium.
If approved, the referendum mandates that the first $5 million of state revenue from sports gambling be allocated to problem gambling programs. The remaining funds would support K-12 public education.
Upon approval of the sports betting measure, state lawmakers would need to establish the licensing fees for sportsbook operations and determine the state tax rate on the gross revenue of oddsmakers.
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