Twelve Ballot Initiatives Seek to Garner Support for Betting in Missouri

Missouri lawmakers and professional sports teams will continue to promote the legalization of sports betting in the state of Missouri. Ahead of the next legislative season, 12 ballot initiatives have been approved for circulation. Four of them were filed by local sports organizations.

The ballots were cleared for signature gathering, allowing them to seek supporters in the state to advance the sports betting cause. Each of the 12 measures would need to get at least 171,592 verified signatures by May if it is to appear on the November ballot next year.

Missouri has yet to approve any form of sports betting, although groups have been trying to get the vertical approved for several years now. Unfortunately, previous attempts to legalize betting have failed to gain sufficient traction, although that will not stop proponents of the industry from trying.

Rep. Dan Houx Is Ready to Try Again

The previous effort to legalize betting was led by Rep. Dan Houx who failed to reach a compromise with those who wanted betting and VLTs to be paired.

Houx recently spoke with Missourinet, a local news outlet, on the matter. He admitted that he hopes for the current legislative roadblocks to go away, allowing Missouri’s entertainment industry to open a new chapter.

If Houx fails to achieve any significant success in the legislature, he plans to back one of the currently proposed ballot initiatives, should one or more of them gather enough signatures to appear on the ballot.

Missouri Might Not Be Ready

As mentioned, some of the current ballot initiatives were filed by local sports teams. For example, a coalition of a hockey team, a soccer team and a baseball team is currently leading the charge for legalization of betting.

The coalition has proposed a total of eight ballot questions that will now seek answers from state voters.

However, legalizing sports betting in Missouri may prove to be an uphill battle as not everyone is on board. A recent study by Remington Research Group showed that 54% of locals would oppose betting, while only 26% would vote in favor of such a measure.

In the meantime, Oklahoma tribal leaders are also rallying behind sports betting, trying to secure an extra revenue stream amid plummeting oil prices.