Lawsuit puts Missouri’s November sports wagering vote in question, locals and visitors react

ST. LOUIS – In May, mascots for the Cardinals, Blues, and Royals delivered signatures supporting the legalization of sports wagering to state officials in Jefferson City. After years of debate, it appeared the issue would finally be decided by voters.

But a lawsuit filed Wednesday in the Cole County Circuit Court could keep sports wagering in Missouri off the November ballot.

Political consultants Blake Lawrence and Jacqueline Wood allege Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft used outdated congressional lines to determine how many signatures each district needed. When it came time to determine where the signees lived, the lawsuit states Ashcroft used the current district lines.

The lawsuit contends that had Ashcroft appropriately calculated the number of signatures needed in each district, Missouri’s 1st and 5th congressional districts would not have had enough signatures to get the issue on the ballot. Proposed initiative petitions need signatures from eight percent of legal voters in six of Missouri’s eight congressional districts.

The plaintiffs also allege a significant number of signatures from the first district were not actually legal signatures but were counted as valid.

In a statement, St. Louis Cardinals president Bill DeWitt III told FOX 2:

“The recently filed lawsuit to remove Amendment 2 from the upcoming election is completely without merit. Missourians came out in force to sign the ballot initiative petition that will be on the ballot in November, which was verified and certified by the Secretary of State’s office.”

We asked Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft for his reaction to this lawsuit. A spokesperson for Mr. Ashcroft said, “our office doesn’t have a comment at this time.”

The plaintiff’s attorney has yet to respond to our request for comment on the filing.

In June, Emerson College polled 1,000 registered voters on Amendment 2. 38 percent said they supported legalizing sports betting, 35 percent opposed, and 26 percent were undecided on the issue.

If voters approve Amendment 2, it would change the Missouri constitution to allow sports betting. The amendment would include a ten percent wagering tax on revenues received that would benefit Missouri’s public schools.

Some Friday night visitors to Ballpark Village in downtown St. Louis expressed confusion over why sports wagering is illegal in Missouri.

“I think Missouri is missing out on an opportunity,” Illinois resident Charlie Finck said.

Jason Morvant lives in the state of Louisiana, where sports wagering is legal. He was in St. Louis for a weekend concert and was surprised sports wagers cannot place sports bets inside a Missouri casino.

“They’re going to bet anyway,” Morvant said. “If it’s five, ten minutes, they’re going to cross the border to bet.”

Missouri resident David Smith agrees. He does not wager on sports but believes Missouri is losing out on potential revenue that could make a real difference in people’s lives.

“The schools can use every dime they can get,” Smith said.

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