The Missouri Secretary of State has confirmed that the status of online sports betting in the Show-Me State will be put to voters on November 5th. Missouri is the only US state that could now feasibly legalise sports betting before the end of 2024.
Public Ballot
Discussions around the legalisation of sports betting in Missouri have been ongoing for some time, and Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft has now confirmed the ballot will be put to the public.
To receive a certificate of sufficiency, the document required to allow the vote, and a minimum number of valid voter signatures are required. These must be obtained from six of Missouri’s eight congressional districts.
These signatures have now been counted and verified, and the vote will go to the public on November 5th, the same day that the Presidential election between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris will take place.
In May this year, a coalition that wanted to put the vote to residents of the State received more than 340,000 signatures, indicating that there is clear support within Missouri for the legalisation of sports betting.
Strong Support
There is plenty of support from across the sports betting industry for Missouri to legalise sports betting. The state is home to just over 6 million people and has a strong sporting presence, with several major teams supporting the bill.
Teams in the state backing the bill include the St Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals, Kansas City Chiefs, and St Louis City. All of Missouri’s surrounding states have legalised sports betting, with the benefits to doing so being clear for many of the residents.
The second half of 2024 has not been particularly fruitful for sports betting legalisation in the States, with California and Georgia both failing to pass bills before the end of their legislative sessions. The last US state to legalise sports betting was North Carolina, which did so in March.
