Missouri Sports Betting to be on Ballot After Successful Signature Campaign

After years of deadlock in the Missouri General Assembly, sports betting appears set to be on the November ballot.  

A group of sports betting proponents announced they have the 300,000 signatures needed to get sports betting on the ballot during the November elections. A group called Winning for Missouri Education has led the effort, joined by several of the state’s pro sports teams. The successful signature campaign means Missouri residents will determine the future of sports betting, not the state legislators.

“Missouri is one of only about a dozen states that hasn't legalized sports betting,” campaign spokesman Jack Cardetti said of the move. “And that means we lose out on millions of dollars that could be going to our classrooms and millions of dollars of economic opportunity. So if this ballot initiative passes, Missourians will be able to place sports bets in a responsible, regulated manner.”

The ballot initiative began after years of deadlock in the General Assembly. While there was strong support for legalizing the industry, opponents continued to filibuster attempts, preventing them from receiving enough votes to pass. Certain legislatures were holding the sports betting bill hostage in order to add their own interests. 

While the state has yet to confirm that sports betting will be on the ballot, that will change once they review the signatures gathered.

Vote Could Come at a Difficult Time

While the successful ballot initiative is promising, sports betting will need public support to be legal. Polls over the years have shown strong support for the new industry, but concerns are growing over the regulation (or lack thereof) of legal sports betting. We have seen betting scandals in both college and pro sports, with athletes at both levels suffering an influx of hate from angry bettors. 

Opponents will likely push those scandals ahead of the election, which could end up costing them the votes needed.