Missouri: Sports betting measure back before lawmakers amidst growing pressure from teams, operators

2024-01-24

United States

Reading time 1:57 min

Despite previous unsuccessful attempts, the Missouri House is poised again to take up a longshot bid to make sports betting legal in the state. The push for House Bill 2331 comes as Missouri’s professional sports teams and gaming operators gather signatures to put the question directly to voters, frustrated with the legislative inaction.

The House version of the bill, which was debated in the Special Committee on Public Policy Tuesday, would tax bets at 10%. An estimated $35 million would be generated for education.

Under the plan, sports teams, mobile operators, and casinos would be able to open sportsbooks similar to those found in states surrounding Missouri that have already legalized wagering on sports.

Bill DeWitt III, St. Louis Cardinals President, told the panel that Missouri is losing tax revenue by not legalizing betting on teams. According to him, the plan would raise money for problem gaming, bring in revenue for the state, and regulate the marketplace.

"We've really appreciated the help in the House for this important initiative," DeWitt said, as reported by the ST.Louis Post-Dispatch.


Bill DeWitt III

The latest legislative effort is unfolding against the backdrop of a push by the state’s professional sports teams to legalize sports wagering through popular vote. Collaborating sports teams include the St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Blues, St. Louis CITY SC, Kansas City Chiefs, Kansas City Royals, and Kansas City Current.

Their proposal would set the sports betting tax rate at 10% and allow the teams and the state’s 13 casinos to operate retail and online sports betting.

On Tuesday, sports betting giants FanDuel and DraftKings wrote checks worth $2 million to help finance a signature collection effort being managed by a coalition called "Winning for Missouri Education." Earlier, the two companies contributed a total of $500,000 to jumpstart the political action committee’s work.

To qualify for the ballot, at least 8% of registered voters' signatures in six of eight Missouri districts must be collected, totaling more than 171,000 signatures by early May. Sports teams and gambling interests would suspend that effort if they get legislative approval of the bill, DeWitt said.


Kansas City Chiefs

Sean Ostrow, representing FanDuels and DraftKing, said there is evidence that an estimated 350,000 Missourians have tried to place bets on mobile devices, proving there is revenue the state is losing.

Meanwhile, Salvatore Panettiere, representing the Kansas City Royals, also said the baseball club supports legalization. "The fans are very vocal about wanting this," Panettiere told lawmakers, according to the above-mentioned media.

Two similar sports betting bills have been introduced in the Senate, but their prospects appear bleak amid an ongoing impasse over what should be done about the spread of unregulated slot machines in gas stations and bars across the state. The committee could vote to send the measure to the full House as early as next week.