Missouri Sports Teams Get Behind Wagering LegalizationSt. Louis Cardinals, Blues, Kansas City Chiefs, Royals Team Up For The Cause |
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As the Kansas City Chiefs get ready for a divisional playoff battle this week against the Buffalo Bills, residents living in the Missouri half of the city won’t be able to legally bet on the game without heading across the border to the Hoosier State.
And while there are efforts in the legislature to change that, some of the area’s pro sports teams aren’t waiting to see when, or even if that happens. FanDuel and DraftKings have teamed up with the St. Louis Cardinals, Blues, Royals, Kansas City Chiefs, and others to bring the issue directly to voters this November.
“While the sports wagering bills that we have supported during the past couple of years have overwhelmingly passed in the Missouri House and have also had the support of a majority of the Missouri Senate, those bills have been repeatedly blocked in the Missouri Senate and not allowed to proceed to a vote in the Missouri Senate,” St. Louis Cardinals President Bill DeWitt III said.
“Therefore, as we are not optimistic that this pattern will change during the upcoming legislative session, we are currently proceeding with an initiative petition campaign to put the issue of legalized sports wagering on the ballot for Missouri voters in 2024.”
Sports Betting Plans
The state legislature is once again expected to consider sports betting in the current legislative session, which runs through May 17. However, the coalition of operators are instead trying to take the issue right to the ballot box.
“We are united in our goal of supporting the legalization of sports wagering in Missouri in a reasonable, safe and responsible way that is good for our teams, our fans, our Missouri teachers and our other citizens of Missouri,” DeWitt said.
The plan calls for permitting sports wagering licenses for casinos, online sportsbooks, and the teams themselves with the legal betting age set at 21. The tax rate would be 10% with much of state funds collected going to education and another 10% toward responsible gaming efforts. Licenses for retail sportsbooks would cost $250,000 and $500,000 for mobile betting, with betting to begin by Dec. 1, 2025, if approved.
Every neighboring state, other than Oklahoma, currently has legalized betting. The coalition estimates that Missourians bet about $2 billion a year using offshore operators with others driving to neighboring states to bet.
Several other states have moved toward at least considering sports betting legalization including California, Oklahoma, Alabama, and more.
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