Missouri pro-betting campaign signs up Cardinals great Ozzie Smith

Missouri Sports Betting Alliance, the group supporting a “yes” vote in the state’s sports betting referendum, has signed St. Louis Cardinals legend Ozzie Smith to its team.

“Back in my day, I was the wizard of the infield. Now, I’m a grandfather,” said Smith in the clip. “That’s why I’m voting yes on Amendment 2. It means over $100 million for Missouri schools and teachers, and no more broken promises. There’s a constitutional guarantee that the money goes to our schools, and legalizing sports betting is great for us fans too. That’s why the Royals, Chiefs, Blues and Cardinals all join me in saying ‘yes’ on Amendment 2.”

After a judge ruled in September that a legal challenge did not have grounds, Amendment 2 will go before voters in the Show-Me State in the Nov. 5 general election ballot. If it succeeds, online sports betting will become legal statewide.

Sports betting has support from many corners

The push for approval has been led by both the SBA and the Winning for Missouri Education campaign, comprised of six professional sports teams. The initiative has received significant support from sports teams and sportsbooks at a time when neighboring Kansas is reportedly attempting to pry the Chiefs and/or the Royals away from Missouri to move over the border.

The U.S. market’s two sports betting leaders, FanDuel and DraftKings, have together contributed tens of millions in support of the campaign. The Missouri Sports Betting Alliance consists of those two companies plus BetMGM and Fanatics. The Missouri Independent reported this week that Winning for Missouri Education has already set a record for the most money donated to a ballot measure campaign, beating the previous high of $31 million raised by supporters of a 2006 proposal to protect stem cell research. 

In addition, all three gubernatorial candidates voiced support of Amendment 2 during a debate hosted by the Missouri Press Association late last month.

A poll from the University of St. Louis found that 50% of voters likely to participate in the upcoming election would vote in favor of statewide mobile sports betting platforms, while only 30% were definitively opposed.

Caesars takes opposing stance

One company that does not support the move is Caesars.

The operator has contributed at least $4 million to the Missourians Against the Deceptive Online Gambling Amendment campaign through three of its in-state casinos.

If voters do say “yes,” the Missouri Gaming Commission could issue up to 14 licenses for online wagers; six allocated to the major sports teams, six to casino operators and two reserved for standalone online sportsbooks.

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