With just a week to go before Missouri’s elections, campaigns supporting and opposing ballot measures have collectively spent nearly $100 million, setting records for the state.
Amendment 2, the proposal to legalize sports betting, has attracted significant attention and funding.
Its supporters argue that legalization would draw in revenue from the widespread betting already occurring within the Show Me State, fueling education with additional funds.
The primary committee backing Amendment 2, Winning for Missouri Education, has raised an unprecedented $40.25 million since January.
For comparison, this figure surpasses Missouri’s previous record of $31 million, raised in support of a 2006 stem cell research proposal.
Sports Betting is “Here to Stay”
Jack Cardetti, spokesperson for the campaign, highlighted data from GeoComply, a geofencing firm, which reveals that 216,000 mobile sports betting accounts in Missouri made 11.1 million attempts to place bets between September 5 (the first day of the NFL season) and October 21.
On opening day, as the Kansas City Chiefs faced the Baltimore Ravens, nearly 21,000 geolocation checks were recorded in and around Arrowhead Stadium.
Cardetti called the figures “really staggering,” underscoring the widespread existing interest in sports betting among Missouri residents.
The campaign’s final message centers on the fact that sports betting is legal in every state bordering Missouri except Oklahoma, and residents are already participating in these activities without contributing to state revenue.
“Missourians know that whether or not they participate in sports betting, it’s here to stay, and Missouri currently gets zero benefit out of it,” Cardetti said, calling his message “one of the most unifying” of the amendment.
DraftKings and FanDuel, Behind Amendment 2
The support for Amendment 2 comes largely from two of the industry’s biggest players, DraftKings via DK Crown Holdings and FanDuel via BetFair Interactive.
Together, the two companies funded $18.1 million in broadcast ads, $1.5 million in digital ads, and $1.2 million in direct mail campaigns.
At the start of the month, Florida’s current sports betting market leader, Hard Rock International, suggested a potential partnership with the DraftKings-FanDuel duo sometime in the future.
Caesars Entertainment-funded group called Missourians Against the Deceptive Online Gambling Amendment opposes the amendment.
The campaign, which has raised $14 million, argues that the funding promised for education is uncertain, as the amendment would allow gambling companies to deduct promotional bets and federal taxes before calculating state taxes.
The group had $5 million on hand as of October 24, even though it decided to withdraw its television ads on October 17.
$10M Campaign Supporting Lake of the Ozarks Casino
The state’s second major ballot measure, Amendment 5, would enable a new casino near the Lake of the Ozarks.
Backed by Bally’s Corp. and a regional developer, supporters of this measure have spent $10.3 million, and no significant opposition campaign has emerged.
Plans for a Lake Ozark casino were officially revealed in October 2021, when the Osage Nation announced its goal to develop a $60 million hotel complex featuring a casino, restaurants, and an entertainment center on a 28-acre site near Lake Ozark in Miller County.
According to The Independent, Across Missouri’s ballot measure campaigns, including gambling and abortion rights issues, $95 million has been spent, with almost $59 million allocated to the two gambling proposals alone.
The state’s total election spending in 2024 has reached $130 million, primarily driven by Republicans in primary elections and the US Senate race among incumbent Josh Hawley, Democrat Lucas Kunce, and Better Party candidate Jared Young.
Campaigns must file daily contribution reports up until the election, with additional spending reports submitted for any significant expenditures.
