Caesars Entertainment is asking legislators in Missouri to require in-person registration at the outset of sports betting. Although in-person registration has slowed the adoption of sports betting in many markets, Caesars is asking for an in-person-only period to counter what the company sees as unfair competition from wagering giants DraftKings and FanDuel, which operate online only.
John Baker, regional vice president of government relations for Caesars, testified before the state Senate during debate over two of five sports betting bills before the legislature. He asked lawmakers to opt for what he called the “Iowa model” in sports betting legislation. Iowa restricted registration to in-person for the first 18 months of sports wagering.
“It’s an 18-month period,” Baker said, “where the casinos that have invested and have jobs in the community, hundreds of millions of dollars in properties they’ve developed in these communities, have the opportunity to sign customers up in-person for a period before you create the online registration process where you never have to go in anywhere, you just download the app.”
Caesars has three casinos in Missouri—Isle of Capri in Boonville, Harrah’s Kansas City and Lumiere Place in St. Louis. Missouri does not require sportsbooks to be tied to a casino, so DraftKings and FanDuel have not partnered with any operators.
Currently, none of the five sports betting proposals includes any requirement for in-person registration.
