Missouri sports betting dead after promising start
Missouri sports betting will have to wait another year as would-be legislation has failed in the state Senate.
despite tremendous influence from the state’s professional sports teams
A bill detailing legal sports betting cleared the House, but stalled in the Senate, ultimately failing to obtain a passing vote before Missouri’s legislative session ended on Friday. This comes despite tremendous influence from the state’s professional sports teams, who brought unrelenting pressure to legislators.
Although the bill was closer to ratification than in previous attempts, the future of Missouri sports betting remains uncertain moving forward. At best, legislators can reconvene to discuss legalization in 2023.
Multiple attempts at legislation
Missouri’s legislative period began with optimism for sports betting. Officials seemed to be in agreement with one another, and the presence of professional sports organizations, specifically Bill DeWitt III and the St. Louis Cardinals, figured to bring enough heat to force Missouri sports betting into creation.
Numerous House and Senate Bills were created before Representative Dan Houx’s was selected as the best. The Houx-backed proposal made it through the House and ultimately reached the Senate before being challenged.
Senator Denny Hoskins led the dissenting group and threatened to nix the bill if it did not include video lottery terminals (VLTs). He later conceded the VLT issue, but still campaigned for a higher tax rate through the bill’s final week in congress.
Three proposals were eventually presented to the professional teams and state casinos, all of which the latter found unagreeable.
Conflicting proposals and missed opportunities
The professional teams and casinos combined to sponsor a deal that created 39 mobile skins; the skins would then be split among the state’s six casinos and six professional teams. Casinos were also allowed to create retail sportsbooks in the proposition.
The group’s tax rate on revenue was set at 10%, compared to Hoskins’ 21%
The group’s tax rate on revenue was set at 10%, compared to Hoskins’ 21%, based on existing casinos’ tax level.
Now that Missouri sports betting is officially dead, the state has fallen further behind in the market.
Neighboring state Kansas legalized sports betting last week, and many Missourians thought their state would be next. However, while Kansas’ sports betting scene is expected to launch in the fall, Missouri will once again be out of the picture.
Five of Missouri’s bordering states— Tennessee, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, and Arkansas— will offer sports betting in 2022.
