A ballot initiative to legalize sports betting in Missouri has gained more than 300,000 signatures, according to an NPR Kansas City local report.
Currently, the motion has more than half of the required signatures to make the ballot for this coming election. Another 171,000 signatures are necessary to move forward.
Because Missouri’s neighbors allow for legalized sports wagering, players in the state make the drive across the border to place their bets. This is something a voter-approved group called Winning for Missouri Education seeks to change.
Winning for Missouri Education is responsible for putting the initiative forward to get the topic of legalized sports betting on the upcoming ballot.
Campaign spokesman Jack Cardetti shared his thoughts during a recent on-air broadcast on The Politically Speaking Hour.
He told local news, “Missouri is one of only about a dozen states that hasn't legalized sports betting. And that means we lose out on millions of dollars that could be going to our classrooms, and millions of dollars of economic opportunity.
“So, if this ballot initiative passes, Missourians will be able to place sports bets in a responsible, regulated manner.”
Supporters of the initiative include St. Louis Cardinals, the St. Louis Blues, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Kansas City Royals, according to the local report.
Should voters pass the initiative, sports franchises would be allowed to set up places within stadium parameters for players to place wagers.
To date, more than 35 states have embraced regulated sports betting since the US Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA) in May 2018, also known as the Bradley Act.
