After years of setbacks in the Missouri legislature, a sports betting initiative appears bound for state ballots this fall. The question remains: Would Missouri voters approve the foundation for sports betting? New poll results show it could be a close call.
A recent Emerson College Polling/The Hill poll conducted in Missouri indicates that 38.3% of prospective voters would support a measure for sports betting, while 35.4% would turn it down. Another 26.3% of poll respondents are undecided about whether or not to support a sports balloting measure.
Emerson College Senior Polling Director Matt Taglia states, “There are some pluralities here who support sports betting. If it were on the ballot, they would vote to pass it today.” However, he also acknowledges that there’s messaging work to do to educate voters about the specifics of sports betting.
Before a sports betting initiative becomes a possibility on November ballots, the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office must certify that a campaign effort met signature requirements through the state’s initiative petition process. Winning For Missouri Education, a campaign representing Missouri’s six professional sports teams, says it collected and turned in more than 300,000 signatures ahead of the deadline to seek a November ballot initiative.
If certified and approved by voters, the initiative would allow each of Missouri’s 13 casinos and six professional sports teams to offer onsite and mobile sports betting. The Missouri Gaming Commission would regulate sports betting, and a designated home-dock city or county would receive 10% of the gaming tax for services provided. Campaign leaders hope such changes will generate tens of millions of dollars for Missouri public education each year.
Under the initiative, at least $5 million annually in licensing fees and taxes would go toward problem gambling programs, with remaining tax revenues going toward elementary, secondary, and higher education.
Efforts to legalize sports wagering in Missouri through legislation have faced political pushback over the last several years. Some lawmakers are concerned that sports betting could influence compulsive gambling patterns in the state. However, poll results did not indicate any trends of support or opposition based on political party affiliations.
Missouri is one of 12 U.S. states that has not legalized some form of sports betting, either in person or online, as of this year.
