Missouri Voters Approve Sports Betting Amendment
Missouri voters have approved Amendment 2. However, the vote was super close, passing by 0,5% and 14,000 votes.
What’s Next?
Now that Missouri voters have approved Amendment 2, the Missouri Gaming Commission (MGC) will start the process of creating rules and reviewing applications for sports betting licenses.
In most states, gaming commissions take 6-12 months to launch sports betting. So the first legal sports bets in Missouri could be as soon as December 5, 2024.
Amendment 2 allows for up to 22 digital betting platforms in Missouri. Each of the state’s 13 casinos and 7 specified professional sports teams will be eligible for a license. And 2 standalone mobile licenses will be available.
Before sports betting can launch, lawmakers need to set an official start date which must be by December 1, 2025.
There’s questions about the 10% sales tax on all gambling revenue and the education budget. Opponents argued that gambling revenue will replace existing education funding rather than supplement it.
The Amendment 2 Campaign
The campaign for Amendment 2, which legalized sports betting in Missouri, was the most expensive in state history. Winning for Missouri Education, a committee funded by two of the largest online sportsbooks—FanDuel and DraftKings—spent a record $41 million on the campaign.
The money was used for TV and online ads as well as grassroots efforts, including petition signature gathering.
Caesars Entertainment, which opposed the initiative, spent $14 million on the “No” campaign. But they pulled their TV ads three weeks before the election.
Proponents of the amendment said Missouri was losing sports betting revenue to neighboring states. Winning for Missouri Education argued that legalizing sports betting would allow that revenue to be taxed and go towards education.
On the other hand, opponents said legalizing sports betting would lead to more credit card debt and more gambling addiction.
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