Legal Sports Betting Brief: Missouri, Nebraska, Germany, Brazil

• Missouri should see sports betting on the November ballot assuming all finishes well over the next week.
• Nebraska is also attempting a ballot initiative, looking to expand their in-person sports betting licenses to online as well.
• Brazil and Germany offer interesting international sports betting news between influence and player power.

PHOENIX – Through the beginning of August, a few sports betting headlines have taken the focus of the industry.

Missouri Crushes Signature Requirements

Missouri voters will soon find out if they’ll vote on sports betting this November. By Tuesday, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft will decide if the legal sports betting question will be on the November 5 ballot.

Currently verifying the 340,000 voter signatures submitted in May, if approved and passed, sports betting could start by December 1, 2025.

This would allow Missouri’s casinos and pro sports teams to offer betting. Currently, sports betting in Missouri is unregulated, while states with legal sports betting exist around it.

The initiative is certainly present, as ballot spots only need 170,000 signatures. But, the proposed legislation includes a 10% tax rate, which has faced criticism for being too low. Still, early polls indicated 62% support for sports betting.

Nebraska Wants Online Sportsbooks Too

Legislators are discussing the legalization of online Nebraska sports betting, aiming to expand the state’s strong retail market.

Proponents, like Sen. Eliot Bostar, argue this could generate significant state revenue, potentially adding $32 million annually to the property tax relief fund. They highlight the loss of revenue as Nebraskans cross state lines or the best online sports betting sites like Bovada.

Despite growing demand, indicated by over two million geolocation checks and a 41% increase in sportsbook account ownership, there is strong opposition due to concerns about marketing tactics and problem gambling.

Legislators are considering putting the issue on the November ballot.

German Courts Pause Gambling Case

The Bundesgerichtshof (BGH), Germany’s highest court, has paused a legal case involving a sports betting operator and referred it to the European Court of Justice (ECJ).

The case concerns a player’s demand for reimbursement of losses incurred between 2013 and 2018, arguing the operator lacked a German sports betting license at that time. Due to potential conflicts with EU laws, German authorities couldn’t issue licenses during that period.

The ECJ previously confirmed this in the 2016 “Ince” case. The current referral questions the applicability of German laws versus EU legislation, with industry leaders optimistic about a favorable ruling for betting operators.

Brazil Sports Betting Connections Too Much?

Deputy Attorney General Lucas Furtado has asked the Federal Court of Auditors (TCU) to investigate José Francisco Manssur and Simone Vicentini, former Ministry of Finance officials, for their move to head the sports betting area at CSMV Advogados.

The investigation seeks to determine if their new roles, involving clients like 20 football clubs and a multinational betting data company, represent a conflict of interest or breach of public trust. Despite receiving approval from the Public Ethics Commission, concerns remain about their regulatory roles for legal sports betting in Brazil with the influence and potential misuse of privileged information.

The Public Ethics Committee did not fully account for their continued involvement in the sector they once regulated.

News tags: Bovada | Brazil | Bundesgerichtshof | Denny Hoskins | Eliot Bostar | European Court of Justice | Federal Court of Auditors | Germany | Jay Ashcroft | José Francisco Manssur | Lucas Furtado | Missouri | Nebraska | Simone Vicentini