Election Day is just around the corner and opinions on Amendment 2 in Missouri keep rolling in.
Amendment 2 would legalize online sports betting in the state at a 10% tax rate with licenses available through state casinos and sports teams along with two standalone alone licenses.
St Louis and Kansas City mayors endorse Amendment 2
The mayors of both Kansas City and St. Louis, Quinton Lucas and Tishaura Jones, have joined the list of proponents for the measure.
“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. Missourians are betting on sports; we just aren’t getting any of the benefits. Amendment 2 will change this by allowing Missourians to place bets in a regulated, safe way that actually benefits our local economies and classrooms,” Jones said in a release from the Winning for Missouri Education campaign.
“Whether it’s hosting the World Cup, playoff baseball or Monday Night Football, or being home to the first stadium in the world purpose-built for a women’s professional sports team, Kansas City is a great sports town. Fans of Missouri’s six professional sports teams are some of the most passionate and knowledgeable in the entire country, but unfortunately, live in one of only a dozen states that hasn’t legalized sports betting,” added Lucas.
The two pols join the trio of gubernatorial candidates backing the measure.
Some Dems worried about lack of betting tax revenue
Meanwhile, the campaign against the measure canceled more than a million dollars in ads. The anti-side did pick up an endorsement from the St. Louis Democratic Central Committee (SLDCC).
SLDCC noted they are not opposed to the idea of sports betting but are concerned that, with promotional credit deductions and a relatively low tax rate, there is a possibility that annual tax revenue “could be as low as $0.”
The Democratic candidate for Attorney General Elad Gross also said he was against the measure because there was no source of funds for problem gambling programs.
In terms of campaign contributions, the nearly $43 million put towards the Winning for Missouri Education campaign dwarfed the $14 million put towards the opposition. Nonetheless, polling has indicated the chances the amendment passes or fails is fairly even.
