Three candidates in Missouri’s upcoming gubernatorial election have voiced support for regulated sports betting in the state.
Republican Mike Kehoe, Democrat Crystal Quade and Libertarian Bill Slantz voiced support of Amendment 2 during a gubernatorial debate hosted by the Missouri Press Association. Amendment 2, approved by Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, is a ballot referendum that allows voters to decide in November whether to approve sports betting.
Kehoe, Quade and Slantz have voiced support of Amendment 2 as a pair of operators pour money into Winning for Missouri Education, a campaign created in support of sports betting in the Show-Me State. The campaign is comprised of six professional sports teams.
Earlier this year, FanDuel contributed more than $3 million to Winning for Missouri Education while DraftKings has invested over $10 million, including a $5 million contribution last week. Since January, the campaign has raised more than $16 million.
It has also collected over 340,000 signatures in favor of sports betting in Missouri.
Opposition in Missouri
Despite the support, another candidate and major operator do not support Amendment 2.
During the debate, Green Party candidate Paul Lehmann voiced his lack of support for the ballot referendum due to morality concerns. Lehmann, a retired minister, believes sports betting and gambling are sins and funding education through wagering is “deceptive.” The Kansas City teachers union also considers supporting education through gambling as a “terrible idea.” The union is also skeptical of the tax revenue sports betting can garner.
Caesars Sportsbook has also taken a different stance from that of its competitors.
According to a filing with the Missouri Ethics Committee, Caesars has allocated $4 million toward the Missourians Against the Deceptive Online Gambling Amendment campaign. Caesars distributed the contributions through its retail casinos in the state.
Caesars is the only operator to publicly take a stance against sports betting in Missouri.
