$14 million has been invested by DraftKings and FanDuel in their push to legalize sports betting in Missouri, vastly surpassing the $4 million that Caesars Entertainment donated to oppose the legislation. The opposing organization “Missourians Against the Deceptive Online Gambling Amendment,” according to the Missouri Ethics Commission, has not disclosed any new funds since Tuesday.
Missouri’s Sports Betting Proposal Heads to Vote
Missourians will soon vote on the legalization of digital sports betting, a decision that has been stalled in the state legislature for over five years. In 2023, Missouri’s professional sports teams, led by the St. Louis Cardinals, began pursuing a ballot initiative. The proposal received approval from the Secretary of State in August and withstood a legal challenge in early September.
The Sports Betting Alliance (SBA), which includes BetMGM, DraftKings, and Fanatics Sportsbook, backs the initiative, aligning with professional sports teams. However, Missouri’s land-based casinos remain opposed. Under the proposed measure, each casino would receive one sports betting skin, or platform, regardless of the number of locations they operate. This differs from legislative proposals that allowed up to three skins per company based on their number of locations. Major casino players in the state, such as Caesars, Penn Entertainment, and Boyd Gaming, oppose the measure due to these restrictions.
It seems that the public is in favor of legalizing sports betting. The majority of respondents, particularly those in younger demographics, to a recent Emerson College Polling/The Hill survey, which was conducted among 850 likely voters on September 12–13, express support. As per Fox 2 Now, 68.4% of voters in the 30-39 age group are in favor of the proposal. However, support is declining among older voters, with less than 50% of voters over 70 and 60–69 approving.
A broad voter base was reflected in the poll participants, who had a balanced party mix of 356 Republicans, 262 Democrats, and 232 independents or other affiliations. The financial struggle between traditional casinos and digital operators is continuing to influence the conversation about Missouri’s gambling future as the vote draws near.
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