Voter Interest May Cement Legalization of Missouri Sports Betting in 2024

The push for the legalization of Missouri sports betting in 2024 is starting to gain some traction. And supporters might just have the success of Kansas sports betting to thank.

The Sunflower State, which is a direct neighbor to Missouri, recently celebrated their one year anniversary of sports gambling legalization. During that 12 month period, they raked in around $8 million in additional tax revenue as a result of sports betting, according to Legal Sports Report. That number naturally caught the attention of Missouri officials. 

Just as meaningful, though, is recently released geotracking data that shows how much Missourians want legal sports betting. Indeed, this sentiment isn’t particularly surprising. Most of the United States has legalized sports gambling. The absence of sports betting in Missouri is effectively an outlier these days.

Still, numerous past attempts to push gambling legislature through have failed. And while those failures have been met with some resistance, they haven’t exactly engendered urgency. But this latest development might.

Plenty of attempts to place bets with Kansas online sportsbooks over the past year were reportedly made by Missourians. How many, exactly, do you ask? Millions. And supporters of Missouri sports gambling aren’t happy about it. 

Geotracking Data Confirms State Population's Interest in Missouri Sports Betting

Here’s the report, courtesy of KMBC-TV in Kansas City’s Nick Sloan:

“Since its launch in September 2022, GeoComply, a company that specializes in geofencing data, recorded that Missouri residents made nearly 14 million attempts to place bets in Kansas. Local professional sports teams haven't been shy in expressing their disappointment with the standstill in Jefferson City, especially given the progress seen in neighboring states.”

Advocates for Missouri sports betting are already using this as a proof of theory. Opponents, meanwhile, will be quick to note that “14 million attempts” is different from “14 million people.” But that’s not really the point. Legalized sports betting isn’t expected to resonate with an entire population. It appeals to enough people to generate a steady revenue stream.

In this case, 14 million attempts to bet on sports in Missouri actually outnumbers the state population more than two-to-one. (Experts estimate The Show-Me State’s population to be somewhere in the range of 6.1 and 6.2 million people.) So, even if it’s just a small percentage of the population attempting to bet on sports, it still amounts to an awful lot of interest.

Most experts will also agree that there’s a chance this number of attempts is actually on the lower end of projections. Many people in Missouri are less likely to try betting on sports in-state when it remains illegal. And if they do, they might be using offshore sportsbooks rather than domestic ones. What’s more, this GeoComply data only encapsulates attempts to bet on sports in Kansas. It does not include how Missourians tried betting with other online sportsbooks in the United States.

Another Attempt to Legalize Sports Gambling in Missouri is on the Way

Sorry, did we say “attempt?” We actually meant attempts. 

Following the release of this data, multiple petitions to legalize Missouri sports betting in 2024 have been filed. Most of them, not surprisingly, follow the model set by sports betting in Kansas. Their passage would legalize Missouri online, mobile and retail sports betting across the state. Exact tax rates from these proposals vary, but all of them forecast millions of dollars in additional revenue each year. 

Support for these initiatives is believed to be fairly widespread throughout the House and Senate. Though they will need to garner more than 170,000 signatures to move forward, hitting that threshold isn’t expected to be a problem.

However, that’s more than we can say about the enduring Video Lottery Terminal issue.

Issue of Video Lottery Terminals Still Jeopardizes Missouri Sports Betting Efforts

Interest in and support for Missouri sports betting may be reaching a fever pitch. But a familiar roadblock awaits discussions: Video Lottery Terminals (VLTs). 

Senator Denny Hoskins has continuously insisted VLTs be legalized throughout the state as part of any sports betting legislation. That is not expected to change. But as Sloan alluded to in his piece for KMBC-TV, state officials might be more prepared to prevent Hoskins’ agenda and the filibustering that’s come with it:

“VLTs, gaming machines found in many gas stations and lodges across Missouri, have become a contentious point of discussion. While a handful of senators have pushed to include VLT regulations within the sports betting bill, a majority of lawmakers in Jefferson City and local casinos believe that these are two separate matters.”

Whether this “majority” will make a more concerted effort to thwart any bad-faith negotiations and filibustering remains to be seen. But even officials in favor of VLTs are quickly running out of excuses. They cannot argue that VLTs are instrumental to the success of legalized gambling. 

The geotracking data speaks for itself. There is enough interest in Missouri sports betting without the inclusion of VLTs for lawmakers to ensure the passage of legislation is a priority. This is not to say there aren’t valid stances against sports gambling. Those absolutely exist. Relative to the numbers, though, it’s clear Missourians at least deserve the opportunity to vote on the matter during the next general election in 2024. Will they get that chance? We’ll have to wait and see.

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