Missouri Sports Betting Effort Gathers Over 340,000 Signatures

Legal sports betting in Missouri has just taken a significant step towards becoming a reality this week.

The Missouri Secretary of State confirmed that Winning for Missouri Education (WME) has officially submitted over 370,000 signatures from people who want sports betting to be on the November ballot. The requirement to do so is 180,000 signatures, which they should easily pass once their signatures are officially counted and verified.

The WME coalition features sports betting proponents and the state’s pro sports franchises. The group was formed after years of deadlock in the Missouri legislature over legalizing sports betting. While public support for the industry has been strong, opposing legislatures used filibusters to prevent a bill from ever becoming law. The signatures collected will allow the topic to be voted on by the public in November, circumventing the years-long roadblocks.

“As one of only 12 states without legalized sports betting, Missouri took a significant step forward today in ensuring that these revenues stay in Missouri to help our communities and classrooms,” said WME spokesman Jack Cardetti. “We are grateful for the support from Missouri’s professional sports franchises, who have been crucial in creating the opportunity for Missourians to vote directly on this issue in November.”

The proposal from WME would allow the state sports teams and casinos to partner with operators to open one online and one retail sportsbook. All operators would be taxed at 10%, one of the lower rates in the US.

Vote Comes During Tumultuous Time for Sports Betting

While public support for legal sports betting has been strong in Missouri, the industry has come under fire over the last few months. Groups across the state are calling for increased regulations as problems and illegal gambling spikes. They say those issues outweigh the massive tax revenue brought in from the industry.

These issues could lead to voters waiting for additional regulations to address some of the industry’s problems before launching a sports betting market of their own.