ballot

Missouri’s Sports Betting Initiative Heads to November Ballot

Missouri-wagering-initiative-will-be-on-November-ballot In November, Missouri voters will have the opportunity to decide the fate of sports betting within the state. After a long history of failed attempts to pass sports wagering legislation, a judge’s ruling last Friday, September 6, 2024, ensured that the sports betting ballot initiative would remain on the state ballot.

If passed, the initiative would legalize both digital and retail sports betting in Missouri. The initiative has garnered strong support from Missouri’s professional sports teams and residents. Currently, many bettors from the Show Me State travel to neighboring states such as Illinois and Kansas to place their wagers.

Financial and Regulatory Benefits for the State

With neighboring states like Arkansas and Kansas already legalizing sports betting, Missouri is losing out on a potential revenue stream. Legalizing wagering would not only allow residents to place bets from the comfort of their own state but also create new economic opportunities through tax revenue and licensing fees.

The proposed initiative places sports betting under the regulation of the Missouri Gaming Commission. Both digital platforms and physical venues such as casinos and professional sports stadiums would offer sports wagering, with the commission overseeing operations to ensure compliance with state laws.

The measure also includes provisions for responsible gambling, which would be supported by a minimum of $5 million in annual tax revenue. Any remaining tax revenue from sports betting would be directed toward funding education, including elementary, secondary, and higher education programs.

This initiative promises significant economic benefits, with proponents estimating that the state could see tax revenues ranging from $0 to $28.9 million annually, depending on deductions and other variables.

A recent poll conducted by Saint Louis University and YouGov PLC found that approximately 50% of Missouri residents support the sports betting initiative, while 30% oppose it, and 20% remain undecided.

Judge’s Decision Clears Path for Voter Approval

On Friday, Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel R. Green ruled that the sports betting ballot initiative would remain on the November ballot. This decision followed a seven-hour hearing in which political consultants argued that the initiative should be disqualified due to allegedly invalid signatures.

Judge Green ultimately ruled that the plaintiffs failed to present enough evidence to prove that 95 signatures were improperly verified by the Secretary of State’s office. He emphasized that lawsuits aimed at removing certified ballot initiatives are “highly disfavorable.” By keeping the sports betting initiative on the ballot, voters now have the opportunity to decide its future.

A Crucial Vote for Missouri’s Future

In addition to the sports betting initiative, Missouri voters will also weigh in on Amendment 5, which would authorize the Missouri Gaming Commission to issue an additional gambling boat license for the Lake of the Ozarks region. Both initiatives have the potential to reshape the state’s gaming landscape and provide new revenue streams for public services.

As Missouri looks to join the growing list of states that have legalized sports betting, the November vote will be a pivotal moment for the state’s economy and gaming regulations. If passed, the initiative will bring much-needed tax revenue while ensuring that sports wagering is conducted in a responsible and regulated manner.

Source:

“Sports betting will be on Missouri ballots this November” by Caroline Pettey and Joey Schneider, newsnationnow.com, September 8, 2024.

“Missouri wagering initiative will be on November ballot, judge rules” by Jill R. Dorson, igamingbusiness.com, September 8, 2024.

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Promising Outlook for Lone Star Casinos on the Ballot

promising_outlook_for_lone_star_casinos_on_the_ballotyim1 Texas legislators are on the move to bring casino gambling to the Lone Star state. Before this year’s legislative session even started, state Sen. Carol Alvarado, D-Houston, filed a bill on casino legislation that was supported by Las Vegas Sands in 2021.

The tide has turned somewhat and a new strategy that would moot the Alvarado bill has been introduced by a highly influential Republican representative from the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

State Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, filed a proposal on Friday (House Joint Resolution 97). The current strategy seeks to amend the state constitution to allow voters to make the decision on expanded gambling in November. A total of seven destination casino resorts could be authorized if the bill passes and is signed by the governor. Public opinion is overwhelmingly in favor of allowing casinos in the state.

Jobs and Economic Shot in the Arm for North Texas

Political and business leaders have advocated for casino gambling in North Texas for several years in order to bring jobs, increase tourism, and to reap other economic benefits.

Las Vegas Sands and other gambling operators have employed hordes of lobbyists and have spent millions of dollars to promote the legalization of Las Vegas-style casino gambling. There are currently three Native American Tribes with gambling houses in the state using “video bingo” machines that look and act like regular random number generator-powered slots. The largest operation is near the Mexican border in Eagles Pass.

The Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino holds over 3,000 of the machines. Another small operation is located in Livingston, Naskila Entertainment. The third is the on-again-off-again Speaking Rock Entertainment Center in El Paso.

Geren said in a prepared statement: “Polling over the last year makes it clear that more than 85% of Texans want the right to vote on this issue, republicans and democrats alike.

“It is high time that the legislature listens to the voters and allow them to decide this issue. I, for one, am not in the business of denying the voters of Texas their voice when their preference is so clear.”

A stampede of legislation in other states legalizing online sports betting and casinos has left Texas in the dust, and neighboring states like Arkansas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma already allow some forms of gambling leaving Texans to travel out of state or to the southern border in order to gamble. The revenues are not captured by the state under current law.

Sports betting was once considered illegal in all states except Nevada as no other states “grandfathered” in their right to offer it. However, in 2018 the Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) of 1991 opening the floodgates for legalized sports betting. There are currently 36 states that allow the activity with Oklahoma planning to join the pack this year.

Seven Destination Casinos Would be Allowed

The Geren bill would authorize two casinos in the Dallas-Ft. Worth, and two in the Houston area. One would be allowed in San Antonio, one in McAllen, and another in Corpus Christi. In the bill, it was stated that those locations promise the “greatest positive economic impact from destination resort development.”

Geren imagines the properties to become more than simply casinos, but “tourism amenities and facilities, including hotels, restaurants, meeting facilities, attractions, entertainment facilities, and shopping centers,” the bill said.

The bill would allow some of the Texas race tracks to use their current pari-mutuel licenses to open destination casinos.

While in the past, gambling proponents have advocated for casino gambling to increase state revenues, in 2023 lawmakers will be busy figuring out what to do with a more than $30b budget surplus.

The bill, as written would impose a 15% gross gambling tax on the casinos.

Just before Christmas, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said he would be open to moving his team to the Dallas area when the current long-term lease expires in 8 years and a new casino with an arena for basketball and hockey should be part of a new casino resort. Cuban told The Dallas Morning News, “My goal, and we’d partner with Las Vegas Sands, is when we build a new arena, it’ll be in the middle of a resort and casino. That’s the mission.”

Source: Gambling proponents have a new plan to ask Texas voters to legalize casinos, San Antonio Current, February 3, 2023

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