38 states and the District of Columbia have endorsed some form of legal sports betting.
Now, that number has grown to 39 if you count Missouri, which saw its citizens narrowly vote to legalize sports betting on Tuesday.
After the Supreme Court struck down a national ban in 2018, sports betting has popped up in almost 80 percent of states, with 60 percent permitting wagering both online and in-person. And even as lawmakers look to regulate the industry, legislation was introduced in both Oklahoma and Missouri.
While that’s seemingly hit a snag in the Sooner State, Missourians contributed to the growing national trend in sports betting at the polls on Tuesday.
According to The New York Times, over 95 percent of the vote was counted by Wednesday morning. Although neither the Associated Press nor The Times has officially called the election, “yes” votes currently lead “no” votes with a razor-thin margin of 50.1 percent to 49.9 percent.
Missouri’s most prominent sports teams supported the “Winning for Missouri Education” campaign, led by the St. Louis Cardinals and boosted by major support from FanDuel and DraftKings. Together, they raised over $40 million to advance the amendment.
After lawmakers repeatedly hit roadblocks trying to pass similar bills, the coalition took matters into their own hands, gathering over 340,000 signatures to get the measure on the ballot.
“Missouri has some of the best sports fans in the world and they showed up big for their favorite teams on Election Day,” Bill DeWitt III, the president of the St. Louis Cardinals, said in a statement via The Kansas City Star. “On behalf of all six of Missouri’s professional sports franchises, we want to thank the Missouri voters who made their voices heard by approving Amendment 2.”
With the anticipated approval of Amendment 2, Missouri plans to implement a 10% tax on sports betting.
The revenue generated will first be allocated to the Missouri Gaming Commission to cover the costs associated with regulating the industry. Additionally, $5 million will be designated for a fund aimed at preventing compulsive gambling.
The amendment specifies that the remaining funds will support elementary, secondary and higher education institutions across the state.
According to the American Gaming Association, the sports betting industry recorded its highest revenue ever, $11 billion, in 2023. Even as lawmakers debate how best to oversee the rapidly expanding industry, Missourians’ vote on Tuesday reflected the growing national appetite for sports gambling.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.