St. Louis, Missouri – On Thursday, a coalition of professional sports teams in the state came together to submit over 340,000 voter signatures to legalize sports betting in Missouri. The initiative was supported by mascots from the St. Louis Cardinals, Royals, and Blues, as well as other teams in the state.
The campaign brought boxes filled with signatures to the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office in Jefferson City. Republican Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft will now need to verify the voter signatures to finalize the proposal on the ballot. The coalition is seeking around 180,000 signatures to qualify.
Missouri is one of twelve states where sports wagering remains illegal even after more than five years following the U.S. Supreme Court’s approval for states to implement it. The coalition of teams supporting the initiative include the St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Blues, Kansas City Chiefs, Kansas City Royals, Kansas City Current and St. Louis City soccer teams.
If approved by voters, state regulators would be mandated to launch sports betting no later than December 1st ,2025. The proposed constitutional amendment would allow each of Missouri’s 13 casinos and six professional sports teams to offer both onsite and mobile sports betting within their facilities or on their property or through their mobile app respectively . Teams would have authority over onsite betting and advertising within 400 yards of their stadiums and arenas . Additionally , two mobile sports betting operators would be licensed directly by the Missouri Gaming Commission . The initiative requires at least $5 million annually from licensing fees and taxes to fund problem gambling programs with remaining tax revenues allocated to education at all levels .
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