On election night, Missouri became the first – and likely only – state to approve a statewide expansion of gaming in 2024. And it took the electorate, not the legislature, to get the job done.
Missouri voters narrowly passed Amendment 2, 50.1 percent-50 percent. In terms of votes, there were 1,468,306 for, and 1,463,940 against, for a margin of 4,366 votes, according to the secretary of state’s website. That margin was considerably tighter than what many consider the closest legal wagering initiative in history, when Colorado voters legalized sports betting by 44,033 votes in 2019.
The new law allows for each land-based casino and seven professional sports teams to apply for a digital betting license. Two stand-alone digital licenses will also be available.
“This is a huge victory for Missouri fans and for the diverse coalition that worked together to pass Amendment 2,” Sports Betting Alliance (SBA) lobbyist Jeremy Kudon said via email. “Amendment 2 won even despite a historic $14 million spent in opposition – the most ever spent against a Missouri initiative. We are grateful to the Missouri professional sports teams who helped lead this effort and for the broad coalition that made this possible.”
BetMGM, DraftKings, Fanatics Sportsbook and FanDuel comprise the SBA.
The initiative pitted the state’s professional sports teams, DraftKings and FanDuel against land-based casinos. Caesars, which has three locations in Missouri, mounted an opposition campaign because the initiative language appeared to limit casino companies to one platform per company vs. per location. But last week, the Missouri Gaming Commission (MGC) confirmed with iGB that it would interpret the proposal to mean each brick-and-mortar location could get a license.
In total, up to 20 licenses will be available.
Proponents and opponents of Amendment 2 mounted the richest campaigns in Missouri history. Combined, nearly $55 million was raised. Caesars carried the mantle for land-based casinos in opposition, but pulled $1 million worth of scheduled television advertising in mid-October, likely after getting the MGC interpretation.
The battle to legalize in Missouri has been long and arduous. It ultimately took action from the state’s professional sports teams to get the job done. Voicing his frustration at the years-long legislative logjam, St Louis Cardinals CEO Bill DeWitt Jr earlier this year spearheaded an effort by the state’s professional sports teams to get an initiative on the ballot.
The win was the first for digital operators in several years, after losing or pulling back on initiative attempts in California and Florida in 2022.
