The post Try, Try Again: Missouri Lawmaker, Pro Teams Will Continue Push For Legal Betting appeared first on SportsHandle.

With the approach of the 2024 legislative session and another opportunity to try to get Missouri sports betting legalized, a total of 12 proposed ballot initiatives have been approved for circulation and at least one lawmaker says he will try again in the General Assembly.

Missouri’s sports teams in August filed four initiative proposals that would allow for statewide sports betting sites. The proposals have all been approved for signature gathering, in addition to eight others that were subsequently filed. It’s not clear which proposal will move forward, but to get on the November ballot, proponents must collect 171,592 verified signatures by early May. That number represents 8% of registered voters in six of the state’s congressional districts.

Multiple groups have been trying to make Missouri a legal sports betting state for the last five sessions. Most recently, the state’s casinos banded together with professional sports teams to craft a bill that satisfied both of their interests. Rep. Dan Houx spearheaded the legislation, but it was defeated in the Senate by a Sen. Denny Hoskins-led group who want video lottery terminals to be tied to sports betting. That is a dealbreaker for the state’s casinos.

Lawmaker will back House bill or initiative

Since the end of the legislative session, a group of Missouri’s sports teams — including the St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Blues, and Kansas City Chiefs — submitted initiatives that depart from the agreement with the casinos, so it’s unclear if the different interest groups are still working together.

On the legislative side, Houx told Missourinet that he’s hoping for a change in the climate in the legislature.

“With any bill, roadblocks sometimes can end up going away, so to speak,” Houx said.

But barring success in the legislature, Houx said he will back an initiative as an alternative method to legalize betting if one gets on the ballot.

In the last 18 months, Missouri has become nearly an island when it comes to wagering, with seven of its eight border states now allowing some sort of sports betting. That includes Kansas, where statewide betting using sportsbook apps went live in September 2022. Oklahoma is the only state bordering Missouri that does not offer legal sports betting.

As of Tuesday, no sports betting bills had been pre-filed for Missouri’s 2024 session.

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