Fredbird and Sluggerrr Lead the Charge for Sports Betting Legalization in Missouri with Over 340,000 Signatures
The campaign to legalize sports betting in Missouri received a major boost on Thursday as professional sports teams from across the state submitted over 340,000 voter signatures in support of the ballot proposal. The initiative was helped by popular team mascots including Fredbird, Sluggerrr and Louie who eagerly delivered boxes filled with signatures to the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office.
Missouri is one of only twelve states where sports wagering remains illegal more than five years after the U.S. Supreme Court paved the way for states to legalize it. If approved by voters, the proposed constitutional amendment would enable each of Missouri’s 13 casinos and six professional sports teams to offer onsite and mobile sports betting. Teams would be in charge of onsite betting and advertising within 400 yards of their stadiums and arenas while two mobile sports betting operators would be licensed directly by the Missouri Gaming Commission.
The initiative also outlines that a minimum of $5 million annually in licensing fees and taxes would be allocated towards problem gambling programs, with the remaining tax revenues going towards education. State regulators would be required to launch sports betting no later than December 1, 2025, if approved by voters. The campaign needs approximately 180,000 signatures to meet the qualification requirements, but Republican Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft will need to validate these before the proposal can officially be placed on the ballot. Currently, 38 states and the District of Columbia allow some form of sports betting with 30 states and Washington D.C permitting online wagering.
