Sports Teams Appeal for Voters to Approve Sports Betting in Missouri

The NFL’s Chiefs, MLB’s Royals, and NWSL’s Current took out a full-page ad in the Kansas City Star, urging their fans to vote “Yes” to sports betting. 

“Together, as the three Kansas City, Missouri, professional sports teams, we believe that tax revenue earned from sports betting by Missourians should go to classrooms in Missouri, not ones in neighboring states,” the coalition stated.

The coalition estimates that legal sports betting in Missouri can produce $100 million in tax revenue over the next five years. That money would go to Missouri’s public schools. 

Amendment 2 also requires $5 million per year to be sent to a problem gaming fund. 

The ad said “Missourians already participate in sports betting” through offshore operators and driving across state lines to place legal bets. Missouri is bordered by seven U.S. states that have already launched legal sports betting. 

The teams’ final plea centered around the World Cup. Kansas City is one of the host sites for the global soccer event in 2026. 

“There simply isn’t a better time to get this done than right now,” the ad says.  

Partnership opportunities 

Winning for Missouri Education is made up of six pro sports teams. Sports betting operators FanDuel and DraftKings have donated $25 million to the group’s cause over the last several months and were instrumental in helping get the amendment on Tuesday’s ballot. 

If it passes, 13 Missouri casinos and pro sports stadiums can launch online and retail sports betting while two untethered licenses would also be available.

Pro sports teams can also partner with operators like FanDuel and DraftKings. The coalition says in the ad that it would mean “more tax revenue and more opportunities for local communities that we all call home.”

Big-name endorser 

Former Kansas City Chiefs tight end and Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez is endorsing sports betting and starred in a video ad asking voters to support Amendment 2. 

"Tony Gonzalez is a revered figure in Missouri sports, and we are proud to have his support alongside the Kansas City Chiefs, and Missouri’s five other professional sports franchises,” Jack Cardetti, spokesperson for Winning for Missouri Education, said. “Missourians have a unique chance to improve education funding for students across the state by voting ‘Yes’ on Amendment 2."

Other supporters

Two pro teams in St. Louis, MLB’s Cardinals and NHL’s Blues, ran a full-page last week in the St. Louis Dispatch with a similar plea to the Kansas City group.    

“Whether or not you participate in sports betting, you likely know someone in St. Louis who does,” the teams said in the ad. “Let’s bring that tax revenue back to our state and fund our classrooms.”

Both gubernatorial candidates, labor unions, and civil rights groups have also pledged support of Amendment 2. St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones and Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas have also declared support for legal sports betting.  

“Every time a Missourian has to drive across the river to Illinois to place a sports bet is a missed opportunity for our city, our state, and our passionate sports fans,” said Mayor Jones. “Missourians are betting on sports, we just aren’t getting any of the benefit. Amendment 2 will change this by allowing Missourians to place bets in a regulated, safe way that actually benefits our local economies and classrooms.”

High number of attempts

While it’s part of the supporters’ plea, sports betting revenue is certainly leaving Missouri for states like Iowa, Kansas, and Illinois.

Recent data found that 11.1 million wager attempts from 216,000 online sportsbook accounts were made in Missouri from Sept. 5 through Oct. 21, according to gaming compliance company GeoComply. 

The study showed that 57% of the 11.1 million attempts came from bettors trying to access legal sportsbooks in Illinois while another 37% came from Kansas.

GeoComply said it blocked 21,000 attempts from Arrowhead Stadium in the NFL’s season opener between the Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens. 

“The fact that people in Missouri attempted to make 11.1 million sports wagers in just the first seven weeks of the football season shows just how much Missouri, and specifically our classrooms, are missing by not legalizing sports betting,” Cardetti said.