MISSOURI, USA— With less than eight weeks to go, the campaign for Amendment 2, which would allow sports betting, is heating up. This is one of the most important issues on the Missouri ballot in November.
The issue is getting attention from the news across the country, the first ads have been released, and groups of people who are against it are beginning to form.
The pro-Amendment 2 group “Winning for Missouri Education” says that allowed sports betting will bring in tens of millions of dollars every year for the state’s public schools. The ad can be seen on TV and online.
Ryan Butler, a reporter for the website Covers who works in the gaming business, has come to St. Louis to write about the interesting story of Missourians who go to neighboring states every day to legally bet.
People from Missouri spend their money in Illinois and Kansas, but every state except Oklahoma has sports books on the line with Missouri, he said. “The goal is to direct that and keep those tax dollars in the state of Missouri.”
If Amendment 2 passes, the state will be able to give licenses for sports betting apps to:
- Existing Missouri casino operators
- Pro sports teams like the Cardinals, Blues, Chiefs, and Royals
- Sports wagering operators like Draft Kings and Fan Duel
The change would add a $500,000 fee to apply for a license and a 10% tax on the licensees’ adjusted gross gaming earnings every five years.
Early estimates say that Missouri will get close to $29 million in tax money this year.
FOX 2 looked at state records on PAC money for campaigns. They show that Draft Kings and Fan Duel, two of the biggest betting apps in Illinois, are spending a lot of money to get Amendment 2 passed.
Drawing more than $6 million to the “Winning for Missouri Education” PAC from January to mid-July. Fan Duel and the company that owns it gave $4.25 million.
People in Missouri who are against the “Deceptive Online Gambling Amendment” have just sent the Missouri Ethics Commission paperwork to say they are against the amendment. The group still hasn’t said which big donors gave them money.
Butler said, “You don’t waste time filing the paperwork and making a committee if you’re not going to do anything with it.” He expected the opposition effort to keep coming together. “We saw a few lawsuits that tried to keep this from even going to the voters.”
Legalized sports betting has been supported in recent polls, and more than 200,000 valid voter signatures have been turned in to put the issue on the ballot. If Butler had to bet, you’ll soon be able to stay in Missouri and still place your bets.