Two Missouri citizens are suing to cancel a constitutional amendment proposed in the November 5 vote that would legalize sports betting. Political consultants Blake Lawrence and Jacqueline Wood accuse Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft of improperly executing the certification process to determine if the petition meets the necessary criteria to be included on the ballot.
The measure may not have received enough votes
Local news media "St. Louis Post-Dispatch" revealed that the lawsuit filed in Cole County Circuit Court claims Ashcroft used the new congressional district boundaries set after the 2020 census to determine the residence of petition signers, but then used old boundaries to calculate the required number of signatures for each district.
According to the lawsuit, if the correct procedures were followed, the First Congressional District of St. Louis and the Fifth Congressional District of Kansas City would not meet the signature threshold required to submit the new amendment. The lawsuit further claims that most of the signatures verified within the congressional districts are legally invalid, further affecting the validity of the proposal.
In Missouri, the threshold for petitions is to obtain signatures from 8% of the legal voters in six of the state's eight congressional districts following the most recent gubernatorial election. The lawsuit accuses Ashcroft of not using a uniform statewide number to calculate the signature requirements. Instead, he used different thresholds based on previous district boundaries.
Legalization of gambling could bring significant benefits
The proposed amendment sets the sports betting tax rate at 10% and allows Missouri's professional sports franchises and the state's 13 casinos to operate their retail and online sports betting platforms. Supporters say this move would bring millions of dollars in revenue to the state, merely legalizing what many residents are already doing, whether illegally or through operators outside the state.
Mascots of the Royals, Blues, and Cardinals helped deliver the signature boxes, highlighting the strong support from sports teams for the legalization of sports betting. Bill DeWitt III, president of the St. Louis Cardinals and a major supporter of the sports betting amendment, questioned the value of the lawsuit and noted that the petition had strong support throughout the state.
The lawsuit has been handed over to Cole County Circuit Judge Colton Walker, who will decide whether the sports betting bill will remain on the ballot or be rejected. This case could have a profound impact on Missouri's gambling landscape and the broader debate over the legalization of sports betting in the state.
