In an effort to legalize sports betting in Missouri, several professional sports teams submitted over 340,000 voter signatures on Thursday. The campaign received support from popular team mascots like Fredbird from the Cardinals, Sluggerrr from the Royals, and Louie from the St. Louis Blues. These mascots enthusiastically carried boxes filled with signatures to the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office in Jefferson City. Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft will now need to validate the signatures before the proposal can officially go on the ballot, requiring approximately 180,000 valid signatures for qualification.
Missouri has been unable to pass legislation in the Senate to legalize sports wagering, making it one of the few states where sports betting remains illegal more than five years after the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on the matter. The coalition of teams involved in the initiative includes prominent sports organizations like 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 aims to permit each of Missouri’s 13 casinos and six professional sports teams to offer both onsite and mobile sports betting. Teams would have control over onsite betting and advertising within a 400-yard radius of their stadiums and arenas. Additionally, the initiative would allow two mobile sports betting operators to be licensed directly by the Missouri Gaming Commission. A portion of the licensing fees and taxes generated at least $5 million annually would be allocated towards programs addressing problem gambling, with
