Mascots in Missouri assist in collecting voter signatures

Missouri’s professional sports teams came together on Thursday to submit over 340,000 voter signatures, aiming to place a ballot proposal on the legalization of sports betting before the voters this November. With support from Cardinals’ Fredbird, Royals’ Sluggerrr, and St. Louis Blues’ Louie mascots, the campaign brought boxes filled with signatures to the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office in Jefferson City.

Republican Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft will now need to verify the voter signatures to finalize the proposal on the ballot. The campaign is seeking around 180,000 signatures to qualify. Currently, 38 states and the District of Columbia have legalized some form of sports betting, with 30 states and D.C. permitting online wagering.

The Missouri initiative is an effort to bypass the Senate, where bills to legalize sports betting have faced repeated obstacles. Missouri is among the twelve states where sports wagering remains illegal even after more than five years following the U.S. Supreme Court’s approval for states to implement it.

The coalition of teams supporting the initiative include the St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Blues, Kansas City Chiefs, Kansas City Royals, Kansas City Current, and St. Louis City soccer teams. The proposed constitutional amendment would allow each of Missouri’s 13 casinos and six professional sports teams to offer both onsite and mobile sports betting. Teams would have authority over onsite betting and advertising within 400 yards of their stadiums and arenas.

Additionally, the initiative would permit two mobile sports betting operators to be licensed directly by the Missouri Gaming Commission. The initiative requires at least $5 million annually from licensing fees and taxes to fund problem gambling programs, with remaining tax revenues allocated to education at all levels. If approved by voters, state regulators would be mandated to launch sports betting no later than December 1, 2025.