As an opposition campaign ramps up, the Missouri sports betting ballot question continues to see positive signs in new polling.
The latest Missouri sports betting polling by Emerson College and The Hill found 52% of voters support legalizing the industry. The survey also shows 25% of Missourians oppose the ballot question, while another 22% are unsure on the issue.
“Missouri voters understand the potential for sports betting to deliver enormous benefits to our students and our teachers,” Winning for Missouri Education spokesperson Jack Cardetti said in a statement. “The revenue generated from legal sports betting will support our schools and provide much-needed funding to improve education across the state.”
The survey of 850 people was conducted September 12–13 via text messaging and online panel, with a 3.3% margin of error. The data sets were modeled on the US Census, exit polling and voter registration.
Race to Missouri sports betting
Winning for Missouri Education launched its ballot push last year, led by the state’s six professional sports teams. DraftKings and FanDuel have contributed more than $11.5 million to the campaign to date.
Winning for Missouri Education collected more than 370,000 signatures by the May 5 deadline, and the Secretary of State’s Office certified the question in August.
Once certified, however, a mysterious lawsuit emerged challenging the process. A Missouri judge sided with Secretary of State John Ashcroft, leaving the question on the ballot.
Show-Me State opposition emerges
Following the unsuccessful lawsuit, opponents started the Missourians Against the Deceptive Online Gambling Amendment PAC.
Caesars and its three Missouri casinos contributed more than $4 million to the campaign last week.
Industry sources previously told LSR that Missouri land-based casino operators are unhappy with the ballot question, which allows for two untethered online sportsbook licenses. The ballot question allocates one skin to each casino operator, while in previous sports betting legislation, they received multiple skins with no untethered licenses.
Previous Missouri sports betting polling
Missouri sports betting polling from last month showed 50% of voters supported the sports betting question, with another 21% undecided.
Winning for Missouri Education unveiled its first TV advertisement last week, explaining the 10% tax will go toward the state’s education system.
The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education said this month that state funding for the school year is short $100 million, according to the Missouri Independent.
