Kansas City Chiefs president Mark Donovan revealed to the Sports Business Journal that if sports betting is legalized in Missouri, it will trigger financial escalators in the team's contracts signed with BetMGM and DraftKings. Donovan didn’t reveal how much will become available.
The NFL team will also be permitted to sign a third gambling partnership. Its current deals were signed when the neighboring state of Kansas legalized sports betting.
His declaration comes as the vote on Amendment 2 is still being counted, although with around 99% of the votes accounted for, the measure has 50.1% approval. Many experts have already declared the result.
However, there is a difference of a few thousand votes between yes and no, meaning Amendment 2 could be eligible for a recount, although the Missourians Against Deceptive Online Gambling Amendment (MADOGA) have confirmed they do not plan to ask for one.
According to the initiative, if Amendment 2 passes as expected, Missouri lawmakers will have to launch sports betting at local casinos by Dec. 1, 2025. However, Missouri Gaming Commission chairman Jan Zimmerman recently said in an interview that he wants to implement sports betting sooner.
“The constitutional language says we have to be up and running by Dec. 1 of 2025, but it’s our hope we get there much sooner than that,” Zimmerman said. “Optimistically, in order to get through all those administrative processes, we’re looking mid-to-late summer (2025) to get all of those things in place.”
Legal sports betting may keep Chiefs in Missouri
In the buildup to the ballot, the Chiefs joined with the MLB’s Kansas City Royals and the NWSL’s Kansas City Current to take out an ad in the Kansas City Star encouraging people to vote in favor of Amendment 2. The Chiefs were also a part of the Winning for Missouri Education coalition.
The Chiefs joined this coalition because the sports betting legislation will allow professional sports teams to launch retail sportsbooks at stadiums and sign new betting partnerships.
Amendment 2’s likely passage adds another layer of intrigue to the Chiefs’ decision to move across state lines to Kansas or stay in Missouri. Donovan declared the Chiefs would decide where to play football after the 2030 season before the end of 2024.
The Chiefs are contracted to play at Arrowhead Stadium until Jan. 31, 2031. However, the residents of Jackson County, Missouri, rejected a sales tax extension to ensure its major league franchises, the Chiefs and the Royals, stay in the state for the next 25 years.
“This is a generational decision. This is going to impact the future of this franchise for generations. We’ve got to get it right. We are going to take our time to do it right,” Donovan said.
The introduction of Missouri sports betting and new marketing and revenue opportunities may tempt the Chiefs to remain in Missouri. Across the border, Kansas has already legalized online and retail sports betting.
