JEFFERSON CITY — A proposal by Missouri professional sports teams to legalize sports betting inched forward Tuesday after Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft approved the campaign’s final ballot language.
Organizers’ next move is to choose one of eight versions to present to voters and begin collecting the 170,000 signatures needed to put the question on the ballot across the state.
The latest effort to legalize sports betting in the Show-Me State is being led by a coalition of Missouri professional sports teams, including the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team, the St. Louis Blues hockey team, and the St. Louis City soccer club.
The Cardinals’ top team is quarterbacking this plan on behalf of the sports team.
Cardinals President Bill DeWitt III said Tuesday that the next step is to meet with the mobile gambling app industry to discuss which version to move forward with and then develop a strategy to gather signatures.
“We’re going to do it here in the next week or two,” DeWitt said.
The team is turning to the initiative petition process to reach voters directly, rather than waiting for Congress to act after years of fumbling attempts.
DeWitt said he would be happy if the House and Senate could come to an agreement this spring to avoid expensive media efforts for voter initiatives.
“I would be very happy if we could take legislative action, because then we wouldn’t have to take legal action,” DeWitt said. “I’m hopeful, but I’m also realistic.”
The coalition has proposed eight ballot questions, each with minor changes to the framework that would impose a 10% tax on wagers that could generate an estimated $29 million for education. The plan also calls for creating a $5 million problem gambling fund.
The proposal would allow each of Missouri’s professional sports teams and the state’s 13 casinos to offer sports betting on-site and through an online platform available anywhere in the state. Some versions would allow up to four online sports betting companies to operate directly from the state.
The move comes as sports betting has expanded across the country after the U.S. Supreme Court lifted a ban that had been limited to Nevada. Sports betting has since been legalized in 38 states, according to the American Gaming Association.
But a recent poll of Missouri voters shows the push could face headwinds.
A survey of 711 likely voters conducted last week by Remington Research Group on behalf of the Missouri Scout’s political newsletter found that 54% opposed legalizing sports betting, while 26% supported it. Ta. 20% said they did not know. The margin of error is 3.8%.
These results may partly explain why legislative efforts to legalize sports betting have failed to materialize on Capitol Hill in recent years.
The House has voted to legalize the practice, but it has stalled in the Senate over disagreements over the prevalence of unregulated slot machines at gas stations, bars and truck stops.
Cardinals senior vice president and general counsel Mike Whittle earlier told The Associated Press that professional sports teams will help provide the funds needed to collect signatures and conduct marketing campaigns for the voting measure. .
The team sees betting as a way to increase interest in the game and increase profits.