Twelve states, that’s how many have yet to legalize betting in the United States. One of them is Missouri’s and that’s a little head-scratching.
We can understand the super conservative states that are against legalizing — the Mormon-influenced Utah and Deep South states like Georgia and Alabama. But Missouri? They aren’t super conservative and most of the Midwest has embraced legalized wagering by now.
But if the Kansas City Chiefs have their way, the state of Missouri will soon join the fun AND the riches that come with it. You’re going to want to keep on reading to get how the Chiefs are trying to influence legalization efforts.
Chiefs Want Betting In Missouri Badly
It’s no secret why the Chiefs want legal sports betting in Missouri: there’s a huge potential windfall waiting for them. All sports teams and leagues have embraced betting as the biggest driver of new business. It is an $11 billion industry, after all, thus making teams ideal partners for sportsbook operators.
However, a brand like Chiefs are even more valuable to sportsbooks. That’s because they are the two-time-reigning Super Bowl champions. They are going for a threepeat this season, which has never been done before — so the marketing story sells itself. You add betting into the equation and the Chiefs have a massive ceiling if they could seek betting sponsorships.
All this is why Chiefs president Mark Donovan has publicly backed sports betting. According to Donovan, he’s “spent more time in Jefferson City (the state capital) on sports betting than any other issue.”
Back in May, the Chiefs and other local sports teams (the Royals, Cardinals, the MLS team, etc.) formed a coalition around the issue. They grouped to collect signatures for a potential vote this November. The requirement to get on the ballot was 180,000 unique signatures. They got almost double of that. Signatures are being confirmed before being added to November’s election.
But even if it gets on the ballot, there’s zero guarantee Missouri voters get it passed though. In fact, it might be a toss-up. In June, there was a sweeping poll done by Emerson College and The Hill. The poll covered all sorts of November election topics — the presidential election, of course, but even smaller things like this in Missouri.
The results? Only 38% of polled people are in favor of legal sports betting in Missouri. Another 35% would vote against it, while 26% are not sure. That last category is where this issue will be won and lost, and likely why the Chiefs are being so aggressive. Their success and star power very much has the ability to sway those undecided voters into the yes category.
State Of Kansas Throws A Hail Mary
This story is intriguing. As you may or may or may not know, betting in Kansas is perfectly legal. Moreover, Kansas City rests in-between Missouri and Kansas. However, both the Chiefs and Royals have their stadiums in Missouri, thus have to abide by those rules.
Welp, Kansas governor Laura Kelly threw a “Hail Mary” to attract both those teams across the state border. She signed HB 2001 into action, which would help fund brand-new football and baseball stadiums if the Chiefs and Royals want them. The bill doesn’t put anything into action yet, only saying IF construction happens, it’ll be financed by Sales Tax and Revenue (STAR) Bonds up to 70 percent.
These would not be small projects. Estimates say it’ll take $2 billion to create a new football stadium, and another $1.5 billion for baseball — a tall order to do at the same time.
The problem is both teams have leases at their current locations until 2031 — seven years from now. However, there is an appetite for something new. That’s not just to take advantage of free legal betting laws either, both Arrowhead Stadium (Chiefs) and Kauffman Stadium (Royals) are legit getting old and run down. The two originally opened in the 1970s so they are ancient in stadium terms.
Again, nothing is official, but both teams have said it’s certainly an “option” — their words, not ours. We’ll be keeping close tabs on this wrinkle in the story cause it could grow in the years that follow.
Offshore Options Remain Open
Missouri bettors reading this, there is an option to bet on the Chiefs and Royals this season BEFORE November (if it even gets on the ballot). We’re talking about going to an offshore sportsbook. These work perfectly fine in Missouri because they are based elsewhere, thus don’t have to abide by local rules.
There’s zero shortage of offshore bookies out there, however, our favorites are listed below. We’ve reviewed hundreds of offshore betting sites, but these five consistently rank as the very best:
These sites are fully aware they are the “only shows in town” in Missouri, thus offer a bevy of bets for local sports. So expect the full gamut of odds for the Chiefs and Royals for the rest of the year!
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