A familiar foe to Missouri sports betting has added a new speed bump to the launch timeline in the Show-Me State.
Secretary of State Denny Hoskins rejected the emergency rules for Missouri sports betting last week. The Missouri Gaming Commission sent the rules to Gov. Mike Kehoe last month and hoped to have sportsbooks up and running by June.
While a state senator, Hoskins derailed multiple efforts to legalize sportsbooks in the state before the professional sports teams went around the legislature with November’s ballot initiative. The ballot initiative has a deadline of Dec. 1 to launch.
Hoskins says no to emergency rules
According to iGamingBusiness, which first reported Hoskins’ decision, sports betting does not require an emergency rulemaking process. The MGC’s non-emergency rules were filed alongside the emergency rules last month, with an effective date of Aug. 30.
Missouri law only allows for emergency rules if there is “immediate danger to public health, safety, or welfare,” or to “preserve a compelling governmental interest that requires an early effective date.”
Once the rules are approved by the state’s executive branch, there is a 30-day public comment period.
Road to legalized sports betting
Hoskins was a thorn in the side of sports betting proponents throughout the past several years. He sidelined the conversations in the Missouri Senate, hoping to include video lottery terminals in the legislation.
Eventually, the state’s professional sports teams launched a ballot initiative. It barely passed in November with 50.05% of votes. The election results were certified in December.
“We don’t think Denny is serious,” St. Louis Cardinals President Bill DeWitt III told LSR in summer 2023 before launching the ballot initiative. “The definition of insanity, this situation is in the dictionary. The door for negotiation is always open. But when you insist on doing the business of Illinois gray-machine companies, it makes it tough.”
There was some opposition to the campaign, but it waned before the election.
Missouri sports betting framework
The Show-Me State’s six professional teams can each partner with a sportsbook platform, as can the 13 riverboat casinos, per the MGC’s interpretation. However, that interpretation might be in question now.
The MGC can also award two untethered sportsbook licenses.
The state will tax sports betting revenue at 10%.
