With Missouri Senate Chaos, Ballot Initiative Might Be Best Chance for Sports Betting

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) looks to throw over the middle.Three sports betting bills have been introduced in Missouri, but likely have little chance at approvalSenate chaos may not offer best opportunity for sports betting bill approval A coalition of Missouri sports franchises are currently collecting signatures for a sports betting ballot initiative

As the Missouri Senate deals with an unusual amount of early legislative session chaos, there may be little chance for a sports betting bill to be approved this year.

Despite the difficult legislative chances for legalization, another option is moving forward at full speed.

Six Missouri sports franchises are currently collecting signatures to place a sports betting initiative on the state’s general election ballot in November. This method may offer the state its best chance at sports betting legalization in years.

FanDuel, DraftKings Supporting Initiatives

The St. Louis Blues, Kansas City Chiefs, St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals, St. Louis CITY SC, and the Kansas City Current have started collecting the necessary 171,592 verified signatures to place a sports betting initiative on the state’s November general election ballot.

While the coalition submitted eight possible initiative petitions to the Missouri Secretary of State, the petition being circulated to state voters will set the sports betting tax rate at 10%, allow state teams and casinos to operate retail and online sports betting.

To support the coalition’s campaign, the Winning for Missouri Education campaign committee has been established with the Missouri Ethics Committee. Sports betting giants FanDuel and DraftKings have both supported the campaign financially, with FanDuel donating $1.75 million and DraftKings donating $750,000 to the cause.

Despite being home to six major league professional sports teams, Missouri is one just a handful of states that has not legalized sports betting, Jack Cardetti, spokesperson for Winning for Missouri Education, told Sports Betting Dime.

“Of course, this means our state loses out on millions of dollars in revenue and economic opportunity every single year. We would love to see legislation passed that allows Missourians to participate in safe, legal and regulated sports betting to help fund education. But, because the legislature has repeatedly shown their inability to get this done, we are moving full steam ahead and asking Missouri voters this November to legalize sports betting and provide tens of millions of dollars in permanent, dedicated funding to our classrooms each year,” he said.

According to the initiative, each Missouri sports team and casino will be eligible to operate retail and online sports betting. Each sports team and casino would be eligible for one retail sports betting license through the bill. Additionally, each sports team and casino would be eligible for one online sports betting license. Each team and casino would be able to partner with one online sports betting operator.

The campaign has until May 5 to collect and submit signatures.

This likely proves the best method to legalize sports betting in the Show Me State, as legislative efforts have stalled over the last three years and likely won’t fare better in 2024.

Legislation Faces Uphill Battle

Three sports betting bills have already been filed so far in Missouri, but likely have little chance to be approved.

Senators Denny Hoskins (R-21) and Tony Luetkemeyer (R-34) both filed sports betting bills in Missouri two weeks, which are both similar to bills they filed last year. Luetkemeyer’s bill, SB 852, will legalize online and retail sports betting in the Show Me State, but does not include VLTs. Hoskins bill, SB 824, the Missouri Returning Heroes Education Act, will feature similar sports betting legalization to  Luetkemeyer’s bill, but also legalize video lottery terminals in the state.

Rep. Dan Houx (R-54) also introduced a bill this week, HB 2331, to legalize retail and online sports betting in the state with a tax rate of 10% on adjusted gross revenue. Under his proposal, Missouri’s 13 casinos would be able to offer retail sports betting and partner with up to three operators for online sports betting.

Missouri professional sports team would be able to offer online sports betting and partner with one operator. Additionally, two standalone online sports betting operators could be licensed in the state as well.

The bill is similar to legislation Houx introduced last year. It was approved by the House, but stalled out in the Senate.

Missouri Senate Mired in Chaos

The bills will likely face a similar fate in the Senate this year. Prior to the session, Hoskins vowed to block any sports betting bill that did not include VLT legalization. Since the session started earlier this month, the Senate landscape has completely devolved.

On Tuesday, Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden (R-19) announced four Senators, who call themselves the Freedom Caucus, would be stripped of their respective committee chairman seats and have demoted parking privileges. Rowden levied the measures after the members held up Senate for more than 11 hours two weeks ago to force action on bills to make ballot initiatives harder to pass.

Two of these senators, Hoskins and Sen. Bill Eigel (R-23), have been instrumental in blocking sports betting legislation for the past several years. Both have filibustered any hearing of a sports betting bill on the Senate floor that does not also include the legalization of VLTs.

Rowden and Hoskins will be running against each other this year for Missouri’s Secretary of State position.

RELEASE --> The beginning of the 2024 legislative session in the Senate has been nothing short of an embarrassment. A chamber designed to be occupied with civil, principled statesmen and women has been overtaken by a small group of swamp creatures who, all too often, remind me…

— Caleb Rowden (@calebrowden) January 23, 2024

While sports betting is not at the center of this argument, or the punitive action taken against the Senators, it does not bode well for any sports betting bill’s chances to be approved in 2024.