Missouri sports betting will be decided at the ballot box this November. On Election Day, voters will approve or reject a ballot question that could bring the country’s best online sportsbooks to the Show-Me State.
This begs the question: Why isn’t Missouri sports betting already legal? We’ll attempt to dive into the long history of legislative failures below.
Missouri sports betting measures keep hitting roadblocks
Missouri sports betting isn’t legal, but that’s not for a lack of trying. For several years in a row, legislators in the state House and Senate have considered a variety of sports betting bills. During this time, neighboring states such as Illinois, Tennessee, Kansas, and Kentucky have launched legal sports betting industries of their own.
In Missouri, though, legislative items haven’t gotten out of the starting blocks. That’s due in large part to Sen. Denny Hoskins, who, along with his allies, has served as an obstructionist. Unlike many of his colleagues, Hoskins believes sports betting legislation should include language on video lottery terminals (or VLT’s).
Over the years, the Hoskins camp has used its power to block Missouri sports betting bills that don’t address VLT’s. This includes events during the 2023 legislative session. In that session, Hoskins killed a bill he himself helped draft after an amendment was added to include sports betting language.
Why is 2024 different?
Unlike prior years, 2024 featured a successful petition effort from Winning for Missouri Education. That organization gathered more than 340,000 signatures. Those signatures were ratified by the Missouri Secretary of State earlier this month, officially solidifying the initiative’s place on the 2024 ballot.
Unsurprisingly, Hoskins has been critical of this measure. He says the 10% tax rate is too low, and would result in fewer resources for responsible gambling initiatives and services for veterans. His remarks included a preference for a legislative solution, even though he and his allies have been the ones killing bills for several years.
Even if this ballot measure doesn’t pass, there are reasons to be optimistic. The biggest one is that Hoskins is term-limited and won’t be in his longtime post for the 2025 legislative session.
If Missouri sports betting is rejected in November, it will almost certainly be a hot topic at this session. Should that happen, the discussion will occur without a longtime obstructionist around to block bills.
