missouri sports betting

Legal Missouri sports betting might not be a done deal after all

On 5 November and in the days thereafter, it appeared that Missouri voters had approved Amendment 2, which allows for statewide retail and digital sports betting. But with vote tallies still trickling in, it's possible that the measure didn't pass, or at least that a recount could be demanded.

Multiple media outlets and the Sports Betting Alliance (SBA) touted Amendment 2’s passage in the week of the presidential election. But according to the Missouri Independent, the results from one county could reverse that.

And even if the amendment is deemed a winner, the vote differential is so slim, a recount could be requested.

Christian County is located in southwest Missouri and is considered a suburb of Springfield. And according to a certified vote tally dated 12 November, 30,320 ballots were “no” on Amendment 2 and 19,955 were “yes”. That’s a difference of 10,365 votes on a constitutional amendment that was said to have won by the slimmest of margins. That official vote tal..

November 15, 2024

Here are the sports betting platforms that already have Missouri market access

Those in Missouri will finally get a chance to bet on sports after voters approved a legal digital and retail sports betting initiative on 5 November. And every major operator already has some sort of existing relationship with a casino or professional sports team in the state.

Missouri’s new law requires that sports betting go live by 1 December 2025. Given that the state has an existing casino industry, it could launch sooner. And Jan Zimmerman, chair of the Missouri Gaming Commission (MGC) says the rules promulgation process has already started.

“Our folks are writing the rules and regulations as we speak,” Zimmeran told KFVS 12 on 12 November.

Zimmerman didn’t reveal a projected launch date or when rules might be available for review. But the MGC meets at the end of each month, usually around the 25th. The agenda and date for the November meeting are not posted yet. Once the process starts, it’s likely that the commission will first approve an application and open that process…

November 6, 2024

Missouri voters barely approve statewide digital wagering

Missouri voters on Tuesday (5 November) night did what the legislature has failed to do in more than five sessions – legalised statewide digital sports betting.

The margin was thin, about a half a percentage point and a 14,000-vote margin, according to the Missouri Independent. But in the end, Caesars’ short-lived opposition campaign did not kill the proposal. The company, one of two that operates three land-based casinos in the state, pulled $1 million (£775,l64/€919,250) worth of scheduled television advertising in mid-October.

And last weekend, iGB confirmed that the Missouri Gaming Commission (MGC) said it interprets Amendment 2 to mean that each casino location is entitled to a digital betting licence. Previously, stakeholders believed that the initiative language indicated that each casino company – not location – would get a licence.

Missouri is the only state this year to legalise a statewide gambling expansion. Six of Missouri’s seven border states already have some form..

November 5, 2024

From Virginia to Missouri, voters to decide fate of these gambling proposals Tuesday

The US presidential election on Tuesday (5 November) could result in major changes to how the country is run but, in four states, gambling expansion is also on the ballot. And in Colorado, the amount of gambling tax dollars earmarked for water projects will be decided.

For the gambling industry as a whole, a decision by Missouri voters to allow statewide retail and digital sports betting would be a prize. Should voters approve Amendment 2, Missouri would be the only US state in 2024 to approve a statewide gambling expansion.

The Missouri Gaming Commission last weekend said it interprets the constitutional amendment to mean that each brick-and-mortar casino location will be eligible for a digital betting licence. The interpretation means companies like Caesars and Penn Entertainment will each get up to three licences. Each company operates three brick-and-mortar locations in Missouri.

In Arkansas, Missouri and Virginia, the fate of a casino licence hangs in the balance. In Maryland..

November 4, 2024

Missouri regulator: Casinos will get one betting platform per location

The Missouri Gaming Commission (MGC) on Saturday (2 November) told iGB that land-based casino operators in the state will get one digital betting platform per location should Amendment 2 pass on Tuesday (5 November).

It’s been widely understood that due to the wording of the proposal, land-based casino companies would get the rights to one digital licence per company instead of one per location. This interpretation of the initiative was not attractive to the state’s existing casino operators. Many operate two or more physical locations in Missouri.

According to the initiative language:
b. The commission shall offer not more than one mobile licence to operate sports wagering in this state to each qualified applicant that is:
(1) an owner of an excursion gambling boat located in this state or a sports wagering operator operating on behalf of each such owner, provided, however, that not more than one sports wagering operator shall be permitted to operate under such mobile licence on..

October 29, 2024

Plenty of support for Missouri legal wagering initiative, but fate unclear

While Caesars has backed down on its “no” on Amendment 2 contributions in Missouri, on 24 October FanDuel added another $4.6 million in support of the legal sports betting initiative.

FanDuel’s latest deposit brings the total contributions to the “Winning for Missouri Education” campaign to $40.7 million (£31.2 million/€37.6 million), according to Missouri Ethics Commission records. That total alone would make the campaign the priciest in Missouri history. Before deciding to “focus our efforts on grassroots outreach and community conversations” and pulling $1 million worth of scheduled television advertising earlier this month, Caesars had funded the “no” campaign with more than $14 million.

The two biggest newspapers in Missouri have endorsed Amendment 2. But the Kansas City Star editorial board did so “with some hesitation” on 10 October. In an editorial, the newspaper outlined concerns about addiction.

Whether or not the initiative will pass is unclear. The most recent polling..

October 22, 2024

As sports teams, DraftKings and FanDuel up Missouri initiative game, Caesars goes to the people

Just as proponents of the Missouri legal sports betting initiative are beefing up television airtime, opponents are pulling back to focus on “grassroots” efforts and calling proponents' promise of $100m for education “dishonest”.

The initiative, Amendment 2, will go before the voters on the US presidential election ballot on 5 November. Proponents DraftKings and FanDuel have funded the richest campaign in Missouri history, according to the Missouri Independent. The two companies have funded ‘Winning for Missouri Education’ with more than $35m (£27m/€32.4m). DraftKings contributed another $4.6m on 17 October.

Caesars, the only operator to fund the opposition campaign ‘Missourians Against the Deceptive Online Gambling Amendment’, has contributed more than $14m. Combined, both sides have contributed a record sum of nearly $50m. And that’s for an initiative that is on the same ballot as an abortion initiative.

Brooke Foster, spokesperson for the opposition campaign, told ‘Politica..

September 15, 2024

Caesars contributes $4m to campaign against legal Missouri sports betting

Caesars Entertainment made $4m (£3m/€3.6m) in contributions to a campaign that aims to convince voters to say no to the Missouri legal wagering initiative backed by the state's professional sports teams.
The ‘Missourians Against the Deceptive Online Gambling Amendment’ political committee was formed on 10 September. And, according to records on the Missouri ethics commission (MEC) website, the casino giant funded the campaign on 13 September. The company made three separate contributions under the names of its casinos.

Tropicana St Louis, which is now the Horseshoe Casino, and the Isle of Capri Casino Booneville each donated $1.3m. Harrah’s North Kansas City contributed $1.4m.

Caesars so far is the only casino company in the state to take a clear stance on the issue of legal Missouri sports betting.

The initiative, which will be listed as Amendment 2 on the November ballot, survived a legal challenge last week. It would legalise statewide digital sports betting with platforms..

September 8, 2024

Judge rules Missouri wagering initiative will be on November ballot

One day after a seven-hour hearing, a Missouri judge on Friday (6 September) ruled that a ballot initiative that would allow for statewide mobile sports betting will stay on the ballot.
Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel R Green issued his decision Friday afternoon, hours after lawyers submitted proposed judgements. The decision came less than 24 hours after the hearing.

After more than five years of failed attempts at legalising sports betting in the state legislature, voters now get a shot.

The initiative case was one of two ruled on in Cole County Circuit Court on Friday. Amendment 3, which would make abortion legal in the state, was deemed invalid. Judge Christopher Limbaugh made the ruling, which proponents say they will appeal. There is a Tuesday deadline for a decision – which is when ballots are scheduled to be printed.

The wagering initiative, Amendment 2, is one of two gambling proposals Missourians will vote on. Amendment 5, if passed, would allow the state gaming commi..

September 6, 2024

Judge promises swift decision on fate of Missouri digital wagering initiative

An all-day hearing on Thursday (5 September) in a Missouri federal court did not yield a decision about whether or not a sports betting ballot initiative could move forward. But it was good theatre.
Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel R Green did not rule Thursday in Jacqueline Wood et al vs John Ashcroft, but did say to expect a quick decision.

In the lawsuit, Wood and fellow political consultant Blake Lawrence claim the voting districts used by the secretary of state to certify the Missouri wagering initiative are incorrect. In Missouri, a proposal needs verified signatures from 8% of voters in six of the state’s eight voting districts. Lawmakers redrew the congressional districts in 2020.

According to the lawsuit, the secretary of state’s office used old districts to determine if enough verified signatures were collected. It then used the new districts to determine where voters live.

Essentially that means that even if a signature came from a person who remains at the same address..

August 23, 2024

Missouri digital betting initiative faces legal challenge

Missouri's sports betting initiative is now facing a legal challenge, meaning there is a possibility that voters won't get a chance to weigh in on an issue that has been tied up in the legislature for more than five years.
On Thursday (22 August), the Missouri Independent reported that a lawsuit filed in Cole County Circuit Court contests how the secretary of state certified the initiative. The lawsuit came just over a week after the secretary of state announced that proponents had collected enough verified signatures to get on the ballot. The lawsuit was filed on Wednesday (21 August)

At issue is the voting districts used by the secretary of state to certify the initiative. In Missouri, a proposal needs verified signatures from 8% of voters in six of the state’s eight voting districts. Lawmakers redrew the congressional districts in 2020.

The Independent reported that according to the lawsuit, the secretary of state’s office used the old districts to determine if enough ..

August 16, 2024

State of the Union: DraftKings’ missteps, Missouri ballot measure

Welcome to iGB's State of the Union, a look at the biggest North American sports betting stories we've covered over the week and briefs on others we found interesting.
DraftKings has “no excuse” to consider surcharge “cash grab”
Less than an hour after Flutter’s second-quarter earnings call ended on Tuesday, DraftKings announced that, after hearing customer feedback, it will back off plans to impose a winners’ surcharge. The company announced the idea in early August, only to get swift and negative feedback.

Wall Street reacted positively on Wednesday. DraftKings’ shares were up as high as $33.50 per share before they settled at $32.06, up nearly 2%. While Rush Street Interactive and Penn Entertainment previously said they would not follow DraftKings’ lead, the company was clearly waiting to see how FanDuel would react.

“We have no plans to introduce a surcharge to winners,” CEO Peter Jackson said during the Q&A portion of the call. He then declined to entertain the issue..

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Tag: missouri sports betting