Assuming enough signatures were collected and then verified, an initiative petition seeking sports betting in Missouri will be decided by voters on the November 5th general election ballot.
340,000 petition signatures were delivered to the Secretary of State’s office on May 2nd, by a coalition of Missouri professional sports franchises seeking to put legalization of sports gambling on the ballot. The proposal would add sports wagering to the Missouri Constitution, if approved by voters, and includes granting licenses to professional sports teams, casinos, and online websites. The start date for sports wagering in the state would be no later than December 1st, 2025, according to the amendment.
The amendment notes “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.”
Sports wagering would be offered through an online sports wagering platform to individuals physically located in Missouri, at excursion gambling boats, and at any location within each “sports district” as approved by each applicable professional sports team. (Sports district means the premises of a facility located in Missouri with a capacity of at least 11,500 people, at which one or more professional sports teams plays their home games, and the surrounding area within 400 yards of such premises.)
Professional sports teams that bettors would be allowed to wager on include Missouri teams in the National Football League, Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League, the National Basketball Association, Major League Soccer, the Women’s National Basketball Association, or the National Women’s Soccer League.
The Missouri Gaming Commission would oversee sports wagering and rules as set in the constitutional amendment, and the issuance of retail and mobile licenses to operate sports wagering in the state. Retail license fees are not to exceed $250,000 while mobile license fees are not to exceed $500,000, and licenses must be renewed every five years at those rates. A portion of the fees will be deposited in the Compulsive Gaming Prevention Fund to be used for research, detection, and prevention of compulsive gaming, implementing treatment and recovery programs, or other related services.
A 10 percent wagering tax would be imposed by the state on adjusted gross revenue received from sports wagering conducted by each licensee and each sports wagering operator acting on behalf of a licensee. The annual revenues received from the wagering tax would be appropriated for elementary, secondary, and higher education institutions in Missouri, and the State Auditor would perform an annual audit of the revenues received and appropriated.
All sports wagering under the constitutional amendment must be “initiated, made, or otherwise placed by a bettor while physically present within this state.” Bets must be accepted only from customers who, at the time of placing the bet, are physically present in Missouri.
Sports wagering shall not include a fantasy sports contest, wagering on the performance or nonperformance of any individual athlete participating in a single game or match of a collegiate sporting event, or wagering on youth or high school events.