DraftKings has donated an additional $5 million to the Winning for Missouri Education campaign this week.
A document dated Sept. 18 and disclosed by the Missouri Ethics Commission shows that the operator contributed the additional funds on Sept. 17. It takes DraftKings’ total contributions to the campaign to more than $10 million.
The campaign, led by a coalition of six professional sports teams, is leading the effort to bring sports betting to Missouri via Amendment 2, the ballot referendum that would authorize retail and online sports betting if approved by voters.
DraftKings’ major rival, FanDuel, has also contributed more than $3 million to the Winning for Missouri Education campaign. In total, the committee behind the push has raised $16.5 million since January, most of which has come from the two U.S. market-leading operators.
The campaign also has support from professional sports teams located in Missouri, including the MLB’s St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Royals and the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs. That comes against the backdrop of the neighboring state of Kansas attempting to lure major teams including the Chiefs and the Royals across the border.
It also has the backing of the Sports Betting Alliance (SBA) consisting of DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM and Fanatics.
To date, the campaign has secured more than 340,000 signatures in favor of a vote on sports betting.
If Amendment 2 receives a majority, Missouri’s 13 casinos would be granted the right to launch retail and online sports betting, as would the state’s pro sports stadiums. Two independent mobile-only skins would also be created.
Caesars puts its money in other direction
However, not all operators want to see Missouri launch a commercial sports betting market.
Another filing with the Missouri Ethics Committee showed that an opposition campaign, Missourians Against the Deceptive Online Gambling Amendment (MADOGA), has received $4 million in contributions from Caesars through the company’s retail casinos in the Show-Me State.
Caesars is the only operator to so far publicly take a stance against sports betting in Missouri. It has pledged the money through three of its properties: Tropicana St Louis, Isle of Capri Boonville Casino and Harrah’s North Kansas City. Caesars’ Enterprise Services business also contributed $156,202.
MADOGA was launched after Circuit Court of Cole County Judge Daniel Green ruled in favor of keeping sports betting on November’s ballot. Green dismissed a filing by two plaintiffs alleging that Winning for Missouri Education failed to garner enough support due to voting jurisdictional discrepancies.
Spokespeople for MADOGA argue that there is no guarantee that legalizing sports betting would bring the expected financial benefits for public education.
As things stand, it seems that whether or not voters approve sports betting in Missouri would be an issue of fine margins. A recent poll from Saint Louis University and YouGov showed that 50% of voters would elect in favor of sports betting.
