Missouri Residents Challenge move to Include Sports Betting Measure on November's Ballot
In a surprising turn of events, a lawsuit has been filed against the sports betting constitutional amendment in Missouri, threatening its inclusion in the upcoming 5 November ballot. The lawsuit, filed in Cole County Circuit Court by political consultants Blake Lawrence and Jacqueline Wood, accuses Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft of incorrectly conducting the certification procedure for the petition.
At the heart of the controversy is the allegation that Ashcroft used new boundaries for congressional districts created after the 2020 Census to determine where petition signatures lived, but used old boundaries to calculate the number of signatures necessary in various districts. This, the lawsuit claims, has resulted in most signatures verified within the congressional districts being legally invalid, further affecting the proposal's eligibility.
The lawsuit does not directly address the benefits or drawbacks of legalized sports betting. However, proponents claim that legalizing sports betting would generate millions of dollars for the state. The proposed sports betting tax rate in Missouri stands at 10%.
If the amendment passes, Missouri's professional sports franchises and the state's 13 casinos can operate retail and online sports-betting platforms. The outcome of this case could have sweeping implications for Missouri's gaming landscape and the broader debate around the legalization of sports betting in the state.
The threshold for a petition to make the ballot in Missouri requires signatures from 8% of the legal voters in six of the state's eight congressional districts following the most recent gubernatorial election. Had the correct procedure been followed, the 1st Congressional District of St. Louis and the 5th Congressional District of Kansas City in Missouri would have missed the threshold of required signatures to forward the new amendment.
Notable figures, including Bill DeWitt III, president of the St. Louis Cardinals and a key backer of the sports betting amendment, have questioned the lawsuit's merit. DeWitt stated that the petition received significant support from across the state. Team mascots from the Royals, Blues, and Cardinals even helped deliver the petition signatures for the sports betting amendment.
The exact number of valid signatures required for the constitutional amendment on sports betting in Missouri, adjusted for the correct congressional district boundaries based on the 2020 Census, is not provided in the available search results. The lawsuit's verdict, to be issued by Cole County Circuit Judge Cotton Walker, will determine whether the sports betting measure remains on the 5 November ballot or is struck down.
As the legal battle unfolds, the future of sports betting in Missouri hangs in the balance. Residents, eager for a chance to engage in sports betting legally, watch with bated breath as the court makes its decision. Many residents in Missouri already engage in sports betting, either illegally or via out-of-state operators. The potential for regulated, in-state sports betting has sparked widespread interest and excitement.
The lawsuit's resolution could mark a significant milestone in Missouri's gaming history, paving the way for a new era of regulated sports betting or cementing the status quo. Regardless of the outcome, one thing is certain: the sports betting debate in Missouri is far from over.
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