With Caesars now funding an opposition campaign, DraftKings and FanDuel both made $5 million contributions this week to support the Missouri sports betting ballot question.
Winning for Missouri Education has raised more than $21.5 million from DraftKings and FanDuel to date in support of the Missouri sports betting ballot initiative. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the DraftKings contribution early in the week was the single-largest check to a Missouri campaign in the last 16 years, before FanDuel matched it Friday.
Since the ballot question certification last month, DraftKings and FanDuel have poured $15 million into the campaign. Last week, a Caesars-backed PAC named Missourians Against the Deceptive Online Gambling Amendment emerged to oppose Winning for Missouri Education’s efforts with a $4 million contribution from the gaming giant.
Contributions to Winning for Missouri Education
Missouri’s six professional sports teams launched the ballot initiative last year. Signature gathering began in January, fueled by $6.5 million from DraftKings and FanDuel.
Following the ballot question’s certification in August, DraftKings added nearly $3.6 million to support the campaign. This month, prior to DraftKings’s latest donation, FanDuel chipped in another $1.5 million.
The pair of sportsbook operators have each funneled $10.75 million to support Winning for Missouri Education.
Missouri sports betting opposition
Last month, shortly after the ballot questions certification in August, a mysterious lawsuit challenged the Secretary of State’s decision. The judge sided with Secretary of State John Ashcroft, allowing Amendment 2 to stay on the ballot.
After the ruling, the Missourians Against the Deceptive Online Gambling Amendment PAC was created. The group said “out-of-state corporate sponsors” wrote the ballot question for their financial benefit.
Caesars then funded its initial $4 million. While the backers of both the lawsuit and the PAC remained behind the scenes, multiple industry sources told LSR Caesars was unhappy with the ballot question and the two untethered licenses and would likely lead an opposition campaign.
Caesars representatives have not returned multiple requests for comment from LSR.
Show-Me State ballot proposal
If Missourians pass Amendment 2 in November, it would legalize in-person and online sports betting in Missouri.
The state’s six casino operators and six professional sports teams each receive one online skin. There are also two untethered sportsbook licenses the Missouri Gaming Commission can allocate.
It sets a 10% tax on sports betting revenue, with proceeds going to the state’s education system. An Eilers & Krejcik study released Friday estimates sports betting could generate $105 million over the next five years for Missouri public education.
“While Missouri continues to lose revenue to neighboring states that have already embraced sports betting, this ballot measure will help us bring those tax dollars back home, benefiting our students and educators,” Winning for Missouri Education spokesperson Jack Cardetti said in the study’s press release.
Missouri sports betting polling
As opposition campaigning begins, Missouri sports betting polling shows growing support for the ballot question.
This week, a survey from Emerson College and The Hill found 52% of Missourians support the ballot question, while 23% are unsure on the issue.
A poll last month from Saint Louis University and YouGov showed that 50% of voters support sports betting legalization. Another 21% are undecided.
