A new campaign aiming to prevent sports betting in Missouri from becoming a reality.
The Missourians Against the Deceptive Online Gambling Amendment campaign has filed paperwork in the Show-Me State opposing the approval of a sports betting referendum. The referendum allows voters to decide on the fate of sports betting during November’s election. Missourians Against the Deceptive Online Gambling is attempting to lure voters in the state into voting against Amendment 2, which concerns sports betting.
“This deceptive measure was written by and for the financial benefit of its out-of-state corporate sponsors and funders,” said campaign spokeswoman Brooke Foster.
Missourians Against the Deceptive Online Gambling has launched its campaign following Circuit Court of Cole County Judge Daniel Green ruling in favor of keeping Amendment 2 on November’s ballot. Green made his ruling after a lawsuit was filed by two plaintiffs alleging that Winning for Missouri Education failed to garner enough support.
In August, the measure was approved by Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft after Winning for Missouri Education collected an adequate number of valid signatures in favor of regulated sports betting from congressional districts across the state. The coalition, which is comprised of six professional sports teams, secured more than 340,000 signatures.
Winning for Missouri Education includes the St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Blues, St. Louis City SC, Kansas City Current, Kansas City Royals and reigning Super Bowl champs Kansas City Chiefs. The coalition is also backed by FanDuel and DraftKings. The two operators have helped Winning for Missouri Education raise more than $6 million.
The funding helped the coalition launch its first TV and media commercial last week.
According to a recent poll from Saint Louis University and YouGov, 50% of voters who are likely to participate in November’s election would vote in favor of sports betting.
The poll found that only 30% of participants were definitively against sports betting.
