Pro Sports Team Behind Initiative
The ballot initiative was supported by a group called Winning for Missouri Education. It is comprised of the state’s pro sports franchises and partially funded by sportsbooks like DraftKings and FanDuel.
The initiative was started after years of legislative deadlock over the topic of sports betting. Some were pushing for controversial slot-style gaming to be legalized and fought any bill that did not include it. All signs pointed to the problem continuing indefinitely, which led the pro sports organizations to take action.
Challenge Alleges Old Maps Used
The challenge, filed by two political consultants, alleges that the office used outdated voting maps when they approved the signatures from the ballot initiative. Ballot initiatives require a certain amount of signatures from different voting districts.
While the Secretary of State confirmed the signatures met those requirements, the lawsuit alleges they used outdated maps. Those maps were recently withdrawn, and the plaintiffs allege they were not used when confirming the ballot initiative’s success.
Missouri Secretary of State John Ashcroft has denied the allegations, saying that the new maps were used when the signatures were confirmed.
The future of Missouri Sports Betting Remains Uncertain
While this is the closest the Show-Me State has come to legalizing sports betting, it is still far from guaranteed to pass. Part of that is due to the current legal challenge, which could succeed in keeping the topic off the November ballot.
Even if the lawsuit failed this week, polling has been mixed for sports betting to become legal. Some have strongly supported the industry, while others show the majority still oppose legalization.