ST. LOUIS—The St. Louis City Democratic Central Committee on Tuesday said it was backing each of the city and statewide ballot questions facing voters this November except for Amendment 2, which would legalize sports betting in Missouri.

What You Need To Know

  • The St. Louis City Democratic Central Committee on Tuesday said it was backing each of the city and statewide ballot questions facing voters this November except for Amendment 2, which would legalize sports betting in Missouri

  • Sean Fauss, the organization’s chair, cited the ballot measure’s language, which estimates as little as $0 in annual tax revenue to as much as $28.9 million, because the program allows operators to deduct against sports gambling revenues

  • If approved, license holders, including the Cardinals, Blues, and City SC would pay $15.25 million in fees to the state on top of the 10% tax on gambling revenue which would go to public education

  • The Democratic candidate for Attorney General, Elad Gross, also came out against Amendment 2, saying it wouldn’t provide enough funding for problem gambling resources.
 

Sean Fauss, the organization’s chair, cited the ballot measure’s language, which estimates as little as $0 in annual tax revenue to as much as $28.9 million, because the program allows operators to deduct against sports gambling revenues. By comparison, he said, Amendment 5, which would add a new casino at the Lake of The Ozarks, will bring jobs with it. 

“When we look at Amendment 5, we have an opposition situation taking place. We have money that’s constitutionally allocated to early childhood literacy. This will also include construction jobs, over 500 of them down at the Lake of the Ozarks, as well as jobs to operate the casino going forward,” he said.

The Democratic candidate for Attorney General, Elad Gross, also came out against Amendment 2, saying it wouldn’t provide enough funding for problem gambling resources.

A spokesperson for Winning for Missouri Education, the coalition of Missouri professional sports teams backing the amendment, noted that it had the endorsement of two building trade organizations in both Kansas City and St. Louis. 

If approved, license holders, including the Cardinals, Blues, and City SC would pay $15.25 million in fees to the state on top of the 10% tax on gambling revenue which would go to public education.

The coalition noted new information out Tuesday that said between Sept. 5 and Oct. 21, 216,000 mobile sports betting accounts physically located in Missouri tried to make 11.1 million bets in Kansas and Illinois, where sports betting is legal. The wagers were blocked because the wagers were being placed from inside Missouri.