Missouri, you are a reasonably accomplished state that is only slightly overshadowed by the state to your direct east. I’m talking about your movement into the sports betting space, of course, and nothing more. And now Missouri may finally be joining its neighbors such as Illinois and Iowa in getting sports betting to the state, as a group has acquired 300,000 signatures to get sports betting on the ballot for November.
Winning for Missouri Education is the group at the heart of the state’s sports betting push. And you’ll never guess the people behind it: Basically all Kansas City and St. Louis professional sports teams.
It makes sense given how engrained sports betting has become in professional sports advertisements and sponsorships. Sports betting legalization is simply inviting money to flow into these franchises.
The Missouri Secretary of State’s office required Winning for Missouri Education to get 180,000 signatures by May 5. It is going to almost double that, with an estimate of 325,000 as the final total. In other words, Missourians want to be able to bet on their teams, of which there are many.
If sports betting gets on the ballot and ultimately passes, Missouri will tax revenue at 10% and use the taxes for public education. That seems like a strong path forward, but Missouri’s sports betting legislation has hit some snags, and they’re pretty bizarre.
One senator, Denny Hoskins, really really wants video lottery included in any sports betting bill. I don’t know why he needs that so bad or why others view that as a deal breaker, but that’s where the hang-up has been.
But the signature quantity may force some hands, and if Missouri legalizes sports betting, look out for the Midwest as the main hub for gambling in the United States — you know, once the coasts fall into the ocean.
