The campaign opposing the Missouri sports betting question pulled back its TV advertising as Election Day approaches while the PAC supporting sports betting continues to push forward.
Missourians Against the Deceptive Online Gambling Amendment canceled more than $1 million in TV ads earlier this month, according to the Missouri Independent. The publication tracked nearly $4 million in aired or reserved ad time for the Caesars-backed campaign opposing the Missouri sports betting question.
While the opposition campaign pulled back ad time, Winning for Missouri Education, supported by DraftKings and FanDuel, has spent more than $7 million on media buys in support of the ballot question, according to its October quarterly report.
Did polls sway decision?
Missourians Against the Deceptive Online Gambling Amendment hired Los Angeles-based FM3 Research for a public opinion survey, according to the campaign’s Initial 15-Day Report filed Sept. 25. The $51,115 expense was dated Sept. 19.
Despite the spending, the campaign has not released any polling figures. Other Missouri sports betting polling has shown support for the ballot question above 50%.
The campaign’s October quarterly filing did not include any contributions or expenditures during the period covered, which was Sept. 21-30.
Missouri sports betting opposition
Multiple industry sources told LSR this summer that Caesars would lead an opposition campaign against the sports betting ballot question. The sources said Caesars is unhappy with the question language, which includes one skin per casino operator and one per sports team with two untethered online licenses.
Previous legislative proposals included multiple skins per casino and no untethered licenses.
Jacqueline Wood, a political consultant who was a plaintiff in a mysterious lawsuit against the ballot question earlier this year, now serves as the treasurer for Missourians Against the Deceptive Online Gambling Amendment.
Sports betting proponents spend big
In Winning for Missouri Education’s October quarterly filing, the campaign reported more than $12.6 million in disbursements. The PAC reported more than $15 million in contributions from DraftKings and FanDuel during the quarter.
The PAC spent more than $7.2 million on media buys with Virginia-based Del Cielo Media. An additional $3.5 million in media buys went to Utah-based Advocacy Marketing Partners, followed by 13 others:
- Del Cielo Media for media and media buy, $7.2 million
- Advocacy Marketing Partners for media and media buy, $3.5 million
- Atlas Strategy Group for coalition building, $5,000
- Axiom Strategies for voter contact, $15,000
- Confluence Strategies for coalition building, $20,000
- DDI Media for digital communications and social media, $723,000
- Deep Root Analytics for voter outreach, $87,500
- Eilers & Krejcik Gaming for strategic management, $45,000
- Fieldworks LLC for voter outreach, $74,000
- FP1 Strategies for media production, $194,000
- Guidant Polling for campaign management, $270,000
- Husch Blackwell Strategies for campaign management, $245,000
- Stinson for legal work, $153,000
- Tightline Public Affairs for communications, $60,000
- Seen, Read, Heard for public relations, $5,000
Growing support for sports betting
Last week, Winning for Missouri Education released a long list of endorsements from state politicians. It included candidates for governor Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe and Rep. Crystal Quade, who had already endorsed the question during a gubernatorial debate.
It also included Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden and Sen. Brian Williams, who are featured in a bipartisan TV ad for the initiative.
The Kansas City Star and St. Louis Post-Dispatch have both endorsed voting yes on the question.
Campaign funding continues
The two Missouri sports betting campaigns have raised more than $50 million.
DraftKings and FanDuel have contributed more than $40 million to Winning for Missouri Education in support of the ballot question.
Meanwhile, Caesars and its three Missouri casinos have committed more than $14 million to oppose the question through Missourians Against the Deceptive Online Gambling Amendment.
