Missouri Sports Betting Vote Tightens as Late Ballots are Counted

Depending on who you ask, things look a little dicey for Amendment 2 in Missouri as the final votes trickle in. The amendment would create a pathway for residents to gain access to our best sports betting sites.

Following the election on Nov. 5, it looked like the ballot favoring a legal Missouri sports betting market had narrowly succeeded. Unofficial figures from state offices reported that out of 2.9-million voters in the state, less than 0.3% of the votes separated the margin between passing and failing. But the gap has been moving even closer to a possible recount in the last 48 hours.

Nearly 10,000 votes have been added to the pool in Christian County, with votes against legal sports betting outweighing those for by a margin of 3,995. 

Where things stand 

With those votes counted, the 4,363-vote majority previously reported on Election Day shrinks to just 368 votes. With some other counties included that had previously not been in the tally, the actual number is closer to 720 votes, according to the Missouri Independent.

However, Jack Cardetti - the spokesman for Winning for Missouri Education - believes the vote will continue to fall in favor of Amendment 2 passing.

“The fact that even the provisional ballots are coming in on the net side for us is good, so you can imagine what St. Louis and Kansas City will show," he said. 

“We’re going to win this election when every last vote comes in,” he added.

Dec. 10 is when final state certifications must be finished. 

Any vote ending within a margin of 0.5% can be subject to a recount if the opposition to the Amendment wishes. But earlier this week, Brooke Foster of the Missourians Against the Deception Online Gambling Amendment (MADOGA) suggested the group holds no plans to ask for a revote. Whether that changes with the numbers narrowing remains to be seen. 

Excitement around the outcome

Surely, the groups that backed Winning of Missouri Education—largely DraftKings and FanDuel—are elated to see the measure pass.

It brings the sports betting behemoths to another state, offering new opportunities to grow user bases. Caesars Entertainment, the parent company of Caesars Sportsbook and a prime contributor to MADOGA, likely sees it differently.

But in general, the Amendment passing has been seen as a positive for the industry.

American Gaming Association (AGA) CEO Bill Miller praised the result.

“Missouri voters (Tuesday) night landed a knockout punch to illegal sportsbook operators in their state by voting to support sports betting legalization," he said.

"Missourians will soon be able to bet on sports legally, with consumer protections, responsible gaming measures and expertise within reach, and tax revenues dedicated to public schools," Miller continued. "We applaud these efforts and look forward to supporting the legal, regulated market operators upon launch in the Show Me State.”

When will the market open? 

The firm cutoff date outlined in the Amendment was that the legal sports betting market in Missouri must be a reality by Dec. 1, 2025. 

However, Missouri Gaming Commission chairman Jan Zimmerman hopes it can come together faster. 

“Our folks are writing the rules and regulations as we speak,” she noted last week.

 "Optimistically, in order to get through all those administrative processes, we’re looking at mid-to-late summer (2025),” she added.

And while that seems a little ways away, she wanted to encourage residents the proper steps are being taken to ensure the right care throughout the process.

“We want to protect you know both the gaming industry, but also our citizens, to make sure that there’s not some entity out there who’s cheating our folks,” she said. “There’ll be a lot of licensing that’ll be we’re going to have some pretty busy agendas at the Gaming Commission in the next few months.”