JEFFERSON CITY — With Missouri lawmakers unable to find common ground on a significant expansion of gambling in recent years, four of the state’s professional sports teams are attempting to go straight to the voters to legalize betting on their games and others.
Jefferson City attorney filed nine proposed ballot initiatives Wednesday on behalf of the ºüÀêÊÓƵ Cardinals, ºüÀêÊÓƵ Blues, ºüÀêÊÓƵ City soccer club and Kansas City Royals.
Each of the initiatives, if approved by voters, would legalize sports wagering, allowing Missouri to join nearly two dozen other states where people are allowed to bet on football, baseball, college sports and other events.
The proposals are currently in the public comment stage and are not yet being circulated for signatures.
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“Each of our organizations supports the legalization of sports wagering in Missouri as a way to increase engagement with our fans and provide a fun and exciting new way to enjoy sports and root for our teams. We also believe that sports wagering will generate a significant new source of tax revenue for Missouri,†the teams said in a joint statement to the Post-Dispatch.
If approved, the proceeds from taxes on gambling would be split between schools and roads.
Until a 2018 court case, full-scale sports betting was illegal in all states except Nevada.
While other states moved to legalize it, Missouri lawmakers have become bogged down by the competing interests of casino owners and the illegal slot machine industry.
More than 20 bills that include some form of sports betting have been filed since 2019, but none of them has crossed the finish line.
The main proponent of sports betting in the Missouri Senate expressed concern Friday that a ballot initiative wouldn’t allow lawmakers to fine-tune the final result.
“Obviously I am for sports betting,†said Sen. , R-Warrensburg. “But I do have concerns when we put something in the Missouri Constitution without proper vetting.â€
“There are a lot of details to sports book, including tax rates, application fees and annual administrative fees,†Hoskins added.
The teams said they are hopeful the Legislature can strike a deal but said the potential ballot initiative would serve as a backstop if talks stalled again.
“As proud citizens of the State of Missouri, as stewards of the sports franchises within our respective communities, and as key stakeholders regarding the possible legalization of sports wagering in Missouri, we are united in our goal of supporting a responsible Missouri sports wagering law that is good for our teams, our fans, and the citizens of the great state of Missouri,†the teams said.
Each of the proposed initiatives contains slightly different language, including varying tax rates ranging from 6.75% to 21%.
By contrast, legislation filed in recent years has put the tax rate at between 6.25% and 9%.
The tax rate in other states ranges from 6.25% to 51%, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Fees also are different in each of the states. Illinois, for example, charges companies a $20 million initial fee to allow online sports betting. South Dakota charges a $2,000 fee, according to the NCSL.
Under the legislation debated in the spring, the application fees ranged from $10,000 to $50,000.
The ballot initiatives are silent on the fee structure. Rather, they would empower the Missouri Gaming Commission to write the rules for the program.
Under one of the gambling expansion bills introduced in the spring, the net proceeds to the state were estimated at about $12 million.
Other states have seen more income from taxes on betting. According to the NCSL, New Jersey brought in $49.4 million in new tax revenue last year. In Pennsylvania, the state collected $38.7 million in fiscal year 2020.
The effort to put the issue on the ballot comes as Republicans have attempted to make it harder for people to amend the state’s constitution following successful ballot initiatives that led to the legalization of medical marijuana, the rejection of a GOP-sponsored anti-union “right-to-work†law and the expansion of Medicaid.
Republican lawmakers say raising the threshold is necessary because the ballot initiative process has allowed outside interest groups too much of a role in major policy changes.
To qualify a constitutional amendment for the ballot, supporters currently need valid signatures from 8% of voters in six of Missouri’s eight Congressional districts.