The Missouri Pro Sports Coalition has filed four initiative petitions seeking to have legalized sports wagering added to the ballot.
Each initiative petition seeks to pave the way for legalized sports betting, proposing amendments to Article III of the Missouri constitution. The petitions seek to revise Article III by adopting one new section, to be known as Article III, Section 39(g). The first line of the proposed section reads:
“Section 39(g) 1. The people of the state of Missouri hereby find and declare that the interests of the public are best served by a well-regulated sports wagering industry that will provide substantial tax revenue to support educational institutions in Missouri.”
The Pro Sports Coalition is comprised of six professional sports teams which are as follows:
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Kansas City Royals
- Kansas City Current
- St. Louis Blues
- St. Louis Cardinals
- St. Louis SC
The petitions are 2024-135, 2024-136, 2024-137 and 2024-138 and all are very similar, except for the number of untethered sports betting licenses to be issued. Each petition specifies a different amount, ranging from one to four.
From a fiscal perspective, the tax rate for sports betting will be set at 10%. Retail licenses are set to be priced at $250,000. Missouri online sports betting licenses are set to cost $500,000 and a renewal fee must be paid every five years.
Rules state “no licensee shall offer sports wagering to individuals in this state who are under twenty-one years of age.” Furthermore, if there are more applicants than licenses available then the Commission ‘shall select the applicant based on the applicant’s demonstrable history of generating tax revenue as a licensed sports wagering operator in at least ten comparable jurisdictions as of November 5, 2024’.
The next step in the petition process is a public comment period, where Missouri residents can offer feedback to the Secretary of State. The state’s attorney general must also approve the petitions as well as drafting ballot summary language. When the petition is eventually out for signatures, 5% of registered voters will be required to sign the petition in 75% of congressional districts in Missouri. Only then will it pass through to a statewide ballot where it has the potential to pass into law.
Should it appear in the 2024 ballot and be approved, the latest date for a sports betting launch is December 31, 2025.
SB 30 was the closest Missouri has come to the legalization of sports betting, but Sen. Hoskins’ efforts to block its passage have been substantial. It included an eight hour filibuster citing Ronald Reagan’s biography amongst anything else. Hoskins’ delays ensured legislature was postponed before a vote could take place.