If Missouri sports betting makes the November ballot, it will garner world champion support.
The president of the Super Bowl-champion Kansas City Chiefs said the team will wholeheartedly support the initiative to bring sports betting to the Show Me State.
Chiefs Digest Publisher Matt Derrick recently wrote on X that Chiefs President Mark Donovan said he will support the referendum that is still waiting approval from the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office.
“Mark Donovan credited St. Louis Cardinals Chairman Bill DeWitt for spearheading sports wagering legislation in Missouri. Donovan said he has spent more time in Jefferson City on sports betting than any other issue. Says club will support voter initiative if on November ballot.”
Chiefs have been in favor of sports betting from the beginning
It wasn’t the first time the organization has pledged its support for Missouri sports betting. The Chiefs were one of the six professional sports teams that made up the Missouri Sports Betting Alliance. The group was adamant in capturing the attention of Missouri residents. It hoped to yield similar results to alliances in other states, such as the Ohio Professional Sports Coalition.
The group helped collect signatures for the ballot initiative. Those signatures, submitted by Winning for Missouri Education to the Secretary of State, reportedly totaled 340,000, almost double what was required for sports betting to be on the ballot this fall. Those signatures are currently being counted and we should know by Aug. 13 if voters will be able to decide the sports betting issue once and for all.
Donovan has also said he’d like to add a retail sportsbook at Arrowhead Stadium.
DeWitt has been key in the effort
DeWitt has been one of the more vocal supporters of legalizing sports betting. He publicly criticized Missouri state Sen. Denny Hoskins for blocking efforts at the statehouse to legalize sports betting.
DeWitt led the alliance and also partnered with Winning for Missouri Education. That group championed sports betting taxes going toward the state’s educational system. DeWitt is on record praising the proposal.
“We are united in our goal of supporting the legislation of sports wagering in Missouri in a reasonable, safe and responsible way that is good for our teams, our fans, our Missouri teachers and other citizens.”
Chiefs’ future in Missouri could hinge on election outcome
The idea of the Chiefs and Kansas City Royals moving to Kansas has become a real possibility in recent months.
While voters in Missouri balked at funding new stadiums for the clubs, most don’t want to see their sports teams exit the state.
Kansas is doing all it can to entice the organizations to make the jump. The state recently expanded its Sales Tax and Revenue Bond program. This allows Kansas to issue bonds that would cover up to 70% of the cost for new venues for the teams. These projects could cost close to $3.5 billion.
In addition, the remaining 30% of costs could be covered by Kansas sports betting tax revenue, so Kansas residents would not have to pay for the venues through taxes.
Tax revenue from legal sports betting could help fund new stadiums for the franchises. That could be enough to keep the Chiefs and Royals in Missouri, where they belong.
