A lawsuit challenging the certification process of the Missouri sports betting ballot initiative could threaten a November vote.
Political consultants Jacqueline Wood and Blake Lawrence filed a suit Wednesday against Missouri Secretary of State John (Jay) Ashcroft in Cole County Circuit Court, asserting the methodology used to certify the MO sports betting ballot initiative is unconstitutional.
Wood and Lawrence did not respond to requests for comment Thursday night. Both have registered LLCs for consultancy with the state of Missouri.
Missouri sports betting challenge
The initiative needed signatures from 8% of legal voters in six of the state’s eight congressional districts. Ashcroft’s office certified the question for the November ballot last week.
The initiative required at least 170,000 signatures. The campaign behind the initiative, Winning for Missouri Education, turned in approximately 370,000 before the May 5 deadline.
The lawsuit argues Ashcroft used figures from the 2020 gubernatorial election to determine how many signatures the initiative needed in each district. However, Missouri’s congressional map was redrawn after the 2020 election.
The suit says the office used the new map to determine where the signatures were gathered, which should have resulted in insufficient numbers in the 1st and 5th congressional districts. The suit argues with the change, only four of the eight counties received the proper number of signatures.
Missouri teams argue against suit
On Thursday, Winning for Missouri Education filed a motion to intervene “and for such other relief as this Court deems appropriate.”
The state’s professional sports teams, led by the St. Louis Cardinals, have advocated for sports betting the past several years.
“This effort to decertify our ballot inactive is completely without merit, as Missourians came out in force to sign the petition that will be on the ballot in November,” St. Louis Cardinals President Bill DeWitt III said in a statement.
Missouri sports betting ballot question
The question would legalize online and in-person sports betting for the state’s casinos and sports teams.
It reads:
“A ‘yes’ vote will amend the Missouri Constitution to permit licensed sports wagering regulated by the Missouri Gaming Commission and restrict sports betting to individuals physically located in the state and over the age of 21. The amendment includes a 10% wagering tax on revenues received to be appropriated for educational institutions in Missouri.”
“A ‘no’ vote will not amend the Missouri Constitution regarding licensed regulated sports wagering.”
Sportsbooks support Show-Me State push
FanDuel and DraftKings have contributed more than $10 million to Winning for Missouri Education.
The first $6.5 million from the pair of sportsbooks helped gather the signatures.
DraftKings added another $3.5 million last week. A committee spokesperson said the funds will help educate Missourians about sports betting.
Missouri sports betting polling
Missouri sports betting polling has varied widely on the issue.
Earlier this year, two polls suggested approximately 60% of the state’s voters support sports betting.
A more recent poll from Emerson College and Nexstar Media, however, found 38.3% of voters are in favor of the issue, with another 26.3% undecided.
