Senate Appropriations Committee Discusses Missouri Sports Betting

• The Senate Appropriations Committee discussed the sports betting bill in Missouri that would launch the market.
• The bill is being advocated by the Kansas City Chiefs, the Kansas City Royals, the St. Louis Cardinals, and the St. Louis Blues

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri is inching towards launching sports betting as the Senate Appropriations Committee discusses the sports betting bill.

Multiple professional teams are advocating for sports betting in Missouri with rumors of the Kansas City Chiefs possibly moving to Kansas depending on the sports betting bill. There is great optimism for the sports betting bill in Missouri.

Missouri Betting Incoming

HB 2502 would bring both mobile and retail sportsbooks to the Show Me State. While the bill is seeing a lot of push from local casinos and pro teams, a clause for sports teams getting a betting skin has been hotly debated.

Ann Scharf of the Kansas City Chiefs has spoken about keeping the team in Missouri being contingent on a betting skin being allocated to the Chiefs.

The neighboring state of Kansas, which is also aiming to launch sports betting soon, could potentially sway KC if their sports betting bill offers skins. Scharf did note that there is a nine-year lease remaining with Arrowhead Stadium in Missouri so no movement is likely to occur in the near future.

In addition to the Chiefs, the sports betting bill has seen support from the Kansas City Royals, the St. Louis Cardinals, and the St. Louis Blues alongside local casinos.

What’s Next?

The committee adjourned the hearing with no vote as they will likely discuss the bill at a later date with the aim to vote the bill on to the Senate floor.

Missouri’s legislative session deadline is May 30, 2022, so there is plenty of time for the bill to pass. Lawmakers have stated that their aim was to beat Kansas to the punch, however, and Kansas has already passed its bill in the House.

The way things are progressing it does appear that legal sports betting is on pace to be regulated in Missouri within the coming weeks.

News tags: HB 2502 | Jefferson City | Kansas | Missouri | Missouri Senate Appropriations Committee