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Will Missouri residents get a chance to vote on sports betting?
Aug. 13 is the deadline for state government officials to decide if betting regulations will be voted on in the upcoming November election.
It’s been relatively quiet over the past few months when it comes to legalizing sports betting in Missouri. That’s about to change.
Missouri voters will know by Aug. 13 whether they will have the opportunity to vote to legalize sports betting on the ballot in the upcoming November election. The Missouri Secretary of State office has until then to validate that the petition filed received the necessary 170,000 signatures. The state could theoretically announce the results before then if it comes to an early verdict.
Missouri teams, powerhouse operators combined on petition
Legislative efforts to legalize sports betting in Missouri have stalled out in three consecutive years. The lack of progress caused the formation of “Winning for Missouri Education,” a union of six local sports teams.
The Kansas City Chiefs, Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Blues and St. Louis Cardinals were all involved in forming the group, as well as soccer teams St. Louis FC and Kansas City Current. FanDuel and DraftKings combined to donate more than $6.5 million to fund the efforts of the group.
The group started a petition to get sports betting on the ballot in this upcoming election. They needed to submit 170,000 signatures by May 5. Reports say the group submitted more than 340,000 signatures before the deadline. The signatures have gone through a verification process by local officials, but now must be verified and approved by the state.
Polling is split
If the state validates that at least half of the 340,000 submitted signatures were authentic and belonging to registered voters in the state, Missouri residents will have the ability to vote on whether they want to legalize sports betting on their November election ballots, right alongside their choice for the next U.S. President.
Emerson College Polling conducted a survey of 1,000 people in mid-June. In the poll, 38% supported legalization, 35% opposed it and 26% hadn’t yet decided. With a presidential election year producing a high turnout, there will be plenty of lobbying on both sides once we know that the question will be on the ballot.
Proponents of the legalization will highlight that almost every state surrounding Missouri has legalized sports betting. Iowa, Illinois, Kansas and Arkansas all benefit from Missouri residents traveling across state borders to bet. In turn, those states are receiving tax revenue that Missouri is missing out on.
