Getting online sports betting passed in the Show Me State has proven difficult, to say the least, and on Super Bowl Sunday tens of thousands of Missourians tried to access neighboring online sports betting sites.
Let’s delve into the primary issues that the industry is facing concerning online sports betting and the challenges that online sportsbooks are confronting.
Show Me Nothing
Mobile sports betting in Missouri has become a hot-button issue, and it wasn’t lost on those residents trying to make a bet on their hometown team, the Kansas City Chiefs, that political gridlock has stymied all attempts at legalizing it in the Show Me State.
It should be clarified that sports betting accounts can be opened by anyone, regardless of residency, in states that have launched mobile sports betting. However, one must be physically located within those states’ boundaries to place a bet.
A staggering 41,000 Missouri mobile sports betting accounts tried accessing neighboring sites a reported 431,000 times, according to geolocation tracking technology from GeoComply. This was an increase of over 51% from last year’s Super Bowl, giving a clear and unambiguous signal to Missouri politicians that their constituents are clamoring for mobile sports betting.
The geolocation checks occurred on February 10th and 11th, showing that 48% of those attempts were trying to access sportsbooks operating in Kansas, while 37% were trying to connect to legal sportsbooks in Illinois. Anyone located in Missouri would be unable to connect, therefore, a trip across the border was required for those bettors looking to make a wager.
Missouri’s Not Alone
Missouri bettors were not the only ones out of luck, as punters in Mississippi were also tracked trying to access neighboring sportsbooks. Approximately 10,000 sports betting accounts tried 120,000 times to connect with neighboring sites, an increase of 52% from last year.
However, those bettors were not alone, as geolocating revealed Georgians tried 70,000 times (87% increase), while those in Alabama were also starved for a sports bet on the big game, trying to access neighboring sites 35,000 times (78% increase). Minnesota showed 31,000 checks, a rise of 17% from last year at the same time.
“GeoComply’s insights shed light on an undeniable trend: the appetite for legal online sports betting is strong and growing,” GeoComply’s press release said. “Despite the clear consumer demand, several states remain on the sidelines, locked in legislative debates over the future of sports betting within their borders. This hesitancy has resulted in a notable missed opportunity, especially during one of the most bet-on events in American sports — the Super Bowl.”
Cardinals Spearhead Sports Betting Campaign
St. Louis Cardinals President, Bill DeWitt III, has had enough.
He has vigorously voiced his approval for sports betting passage in the Show Me State but to no avail. He is not alone, as five other professional sports franchises including the St. Louis Blues, St. Louis CITY SC, Kansas City Chiefs, Kansas City Royals and the Kansas City Current have all joined him in a campaign to get sports betting on the ballot for voters, instead of lawmakers, to decide.
DeWitt said, “Therefore, as we are not optimistic that this pattern will change during the upcoming legislative session, we are currently proceeding with an initiative petition campaign to put the issue of legalized sports wagering on the ballot for Missouri voters in 2024, and, beginning this week, we are launching our campaign and will be collecting signatures to support this initiative petition.”
The teams must collect a combined 188,000 confirmed voter signatures for the referendum to get on the ballot by May 8th.
The organization issued a press release that said, “Recent estimates suggest that Missourians place roughly $2 billion a year in bets using offshore gaming websites while other Missourians drive to neighboring states to place wagers.”
The thrust of the argument is keeping the tax dollars in Missouri instead of feeding the pockets of neighboring states or unregulated offshore sportsbooks.
