Another seven-figure campaign contribution has reaffirmed top sportsbooks’ commitment to passing a Missouri sports betting ballot measure.
DraftKings’ parent company provided more than $3.5 million to the campaign backing legal Missouri sports betting, per a report filed Aug. 15 with the state government. The contribution comes days after the state certified the measure that will allow Missouri voters to approve legal in-person and online sportsbooks.
DraftKings contributed another $3.53 million to the Missouri online sports betting referendum last week, days after it was approved for this fall's ballot; DraftKings has now contributed more than $5.5 million to the initiative; FanDuel has contributed just over $4 million
— Ryan Butler (@ButlerBets) August 20, 2024
DraftKings has now provided just over $5.5 million to the campaign. FanDuel, the other leading U.S. operator by national market share, has contributed just over $4 million.
Combined, the two sportsbooks account for nearly all of the roughly $10 million raised by the campaign.
Sports betting investment continues
This latest contribution underscores the sports betting industry’s commitment to bringing sports betting to another jurisdiction.
The “yes” campaign, called Winning for Missouri Education, had already spent the vast majority of the more than $6 million raised before DraftKings’ latest contribution. The committee used that money as part of a state-mandated signature collection process to get the measure on this fall’s ballot.
By law, the campaign had to secure roughly 30,000 verified signatures across at least six of the state’s eight congressional districts. It did so in the minimum six with the “insufficient” contributions coming from Missouri’s two largest rural districts.
Now attention turns to the ballot ahead of the Nov. 5 election.
Limited polling shows a close race. Though Missouri has historically taken a relatively progressive stance toward gambling, the state as a whole has become increasingly conservative in recent election cycles.
Unlike the signature petition, the constitutional amendment on this fall’s ballot will be decided by a simple statewide majority. The yes campaign's victory will depend on strong support in the Kansas City and St. Louis metro areas.
The state’s major professional sports teams, all located in one of the two major metros, have all supported the measure. After the teams helped gather signatures, they could further promote the initiative or contribute financially.
St. Louis shares its metro area with Illinois and Kansas City with Kansas, respectively, both of which already allow statewide mobile sports betting and attract Missouri bettors to place bets. Missouri bettors tried more than 431,000 times to access sportsbooks from their home state in the 48 hours leading up to and during this year’s Super Bowl, according to a report from data location provider GeoComply.
National impact
If approved, Missouri would join 38 other states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico among U.S. jurisdictions with legal sports betting. Missouri would also be the 31st with statewide mobile wagering.
Seven of the eight states bordering Missouri already have mobile wagering, with Oklahoma as the lone exception.
The state’s major professional sports teams and 13 casinos all stand to partner with a mobile sportsbook operator. Each casino could open a retail sportsbook on their properties, while the teams could open sportsbooks near their respective stadiums.
DraftKings and FanDuel are two clear leading candidates to procure licenses. BetMGM, Caesars, Bally Bet, and ESPN BET, which all have affiliations or market access deals with Missouri casinos, would also likely enter the state.
If approved, Missouri would join New Jersey, Maryland, South Dakota, Colorado, and Arkansas among the states that approved sports betting as part of a voter referendum. California is the only state with a sports betting ballot measure to reject legalization since the Supreme Court struck down the federal wagering ban in May 2018.
