New Group Launches Campaign Against Missouri Sports Betting

Not everyone in Missouri is interested in residents having access to our best sports betting sites.

According to a local news source, a new group named Missourians Against the Deceptive Online Gambling Amendment has launched a campaign opposing the plan to bring legal sports betting to the state. The group aims to convince voters to reject Amendment 2, which would approve a structure for a legal Missouri sports betting market.

Brooke Foster, a spokeswoman for the campaign, said the sports betting initiative is a “bad deal for Missouri” and argued that the measure “was written by and for the financial benefit of its out-of-state corporate sponsors and funders.”

This latest development follows a recent court ruling allowing the initiative to stay on the November ballot after a lawsuit challenging the validity of the collected signatures was dismissed.

What’s at stake?

If approved in November, Amendment 2 would enable Missouri's professional sports teams and the state's 13 casinos to offer in-person and online sports wagering, subject to a 10% tax rate. The money generated from sports betting taxes would go towards supporting education. 

However, critics like Foster argue that the financial benefits could be less than promised. According to a fiscal review from the Missouri auditor’s office, gambling operators may be able to deduct certain promotional credits to the extent that they would owe no taxes.

Gov. Mike Parson’s administration raised further concerns, finding that the initiative fails to identify a state agency to collect taxes and fees from legalized sports betting.

“Without the identification of an agency to collect the tax, no tax can be collected. Due to wording in this IP (initiative petition), the Department of Revenue assumes this IP will not generate any revenue to the state,” the analysis said, as reported by the STLPD.

“We are building a broad coalition and are prepared to wage a vigorous campaign to educate voters across the state and ensure the measure is defeated,” added Foster.

Sports betting support

The Winning for Missouri Education campaign, which supports legalizing sports betting, has gained backing from sports betting giants such as FanDuel and DraftKings. Together, these companies have contributed over $10 million toward the ballot initiative.

The measure, now set for a vote on November 5, will allow Missourians to decide the fate of Missouri sports betting. According to a recent poll by St. Louis University/YouGov, 50% of likely voters support the effort, while 30% are in opposition.

Professional sports teams, including the St. Louis Cardinals and Blues, formed the Winning for Missouri Education committee in January 2024 to drive the ballot initiative, after multiple legislative attempts to pass sports betting over the past few years have failed.

Since the US Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in 2018, 38 states have legalized at least one form of sports betting. PASPA banned sports betting in all states except Nevada, so the court’s decision allowed states to determine their own sports betting laws. Missouri is one of the few states left to legalize sports betting, alongside Alabama, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and others.