- The Winning for Missouri Education campaign announced it has reached 100,000 signatures for its sports betting ballot initiative
- The sports betting initiative needs 180,000 valid signatures to appear on the November general election ballot
- Campaign believes signature collecting is ahead of schedule
Momentum is gathering for a Missouri sports betting ballot initiative campaign.
The Winning for Missouri Education campaign reported today it has surpassed 100,000 collected signatures for a sports betting ballot initiative. The campaign needs to collect roughly 180,000 valid signatures to place a Missouri sports betting initiative on the November general election ballot.
Six Missouri professional sports teams are behind the campaign to allow Missouri voters to decide the state’s sports betting fate.
Ahead of Schedule
The Winning for Missouri Education campaign reported in a press release that it is ahead of schedule in its signature collecting phase. The campaign is planning to submit more than 300,000 signatures to the Missouri Secretary of State by its May 5 deadline.
“We are seeing strong support in the signature gathering effort because Missourians know it is time to legalize sports betting and use the funding for education. It’s not only good for our economy but will support our teachers and future generations of Missourians for years to come,” Jack Cardetti, spokesperson
The St. Louis Blues, Kansas City Chiefs, St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals, St. Louis CITY SC, and the Kansas City Current are supporting the sports betting initiative in the state.
According to the initiative, each Missouri sports team and casino will be eligible to operate retail and online sports betting. Each sports team and casino would be eligible for one retail sports betting license through the bill. Additionally, each sports team and casino would be eligible for one online sports betting license. Each team and casino would be able to partner with one online sports betting operator.
If the necessary signatures are collected, Missouri voters would decide the state’s sports betting fate at the Tuesday, Nov. 5, general election.
Missourians Eager for Sports Betting?
If the necessary signatures are collected and the initiative finds its way to the ballot this November, will state voters support the measure? GeoComply, a geolocation compliance company, released Super Bowl data for Missouri and the numbers show a strong base in favor of sports betting in the Show-Me State.
According to GeoComply, there were 430,000 geolocation checks over Super Bowl weekend from devices located in Missouri trying to access legal online sports betting devices in other states. All of these were blocked by geolocation technology. It was a 51% increase from last year’s Super Bowl in the state.
The company identified over 40,500 online sports betting accounts in Missouri. This increased by more than 30% from the total in last year’s Super Bowl. Missourians create these accounts to check lines, odds, or to travel across state lines into one of the neighboring states that offer online sports betting.
Neighboring Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Kansas, Tennessee, and Arkansas all offer legal online sports betting. According to GeoComply, 48% of the geolocation checks in Missouri were from accounts trying to access legal sportsbooks in Kansas and 37% were trying to access sportsbooks in Illinois.
A ballot initiative in Missouri seeking to legalize sports betting has gained significant momentum, with over 100,000 signatures collected in support of the measure. The initiative, known as Amendment 3, would allow for the regulation and taxation of sports betting in the state, potentially opening up a new revenue stream for Missouri.
The push for legalized sports betting in Missouri comes on the heels of a Supreme Court ruling in 2018 that struck down a federal ban on sports betting, giving states the authority to legalize and regulate the activity. Since then, several states have moved quickly to capitalize on the new opportunity, with many seeing significant financial benefits from the industry.
Proponents of the Missouri initiative argue that legalizing sports betting would not only generate much-needed revenue for the state, but also create jobs and stimulate economic growth. They point to the success of other states that have already legalized sports betting, such as New Jersey and Pennsylvania, as evidence of the potential benefits.
However, not everyone is on board with the idea of legalizing sports betting in Missouri. Some critics have raised concerns about the potential negative impacts of gambling, including addiction and problem gambling. Others worry about the integrity of sports competitions and the potential for corruption.
Despite these concerns, the momentum behind the Missouri sports betting initiative continues to grow. With over 100,000 signatures collected, supporters are hopeful that the measure will make it onto the ballot and ultimately be approved by voters. If successful, Missouri could join a growing number of states that have embraced legalized sports betting as a way to boost revenue and stimulate economic growth.
