DraftKings Cuts Another Multimillion-Dollar Check for Missouri Sports Betting Campaign

DraftKings is betting big that Missouri voters in November will back Amendment 2, a ballot referendum that would authorize retail and online sports betting in the Show-Me State.

The Boston-based sportsbook leader this week wrote a $5 million check to Winning for Missouri Education, the political committee behind Amendment 2.

If Amendment 2 receives a simple majority, Missouri’s 13 casinos would be allowed retail and online sportsbook privileges. The state’s professional sports stadiums and arenas would also qualify for similar sports wagering opportunities. Two fully mobile skins untethered to a casino or sports venue would additionally be created.

Campaign Cash 

Caesars Entertainment is bankrolling the sports betting opposition committee called Missourians Against the Deceptive Online Gambling Amendment. The company says Amendment 2 was crafted by “out-of-state corporate sponsors” seeking to enrich their operations without having invested in Missouri as it has with its three riverboats — Isle of Capri in Boonville, Horseshoe St. Louis, and Harrah’s Kansas City. Caesars has spent $4 million in opposition to Amendment 2.

DraftKings’ latest $5 million spend follows a $3.5 million check it wrote to Winning for Missouri Education just last month.

DraftKings’ primary competitor, FanDuel, has also donated millions of dollars to the pro-Amendment 2 campaign. The committee has raised $16.5 million since January, most of which came from DraftKings and FanDuel.

Amendment 2 is a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment that arose after state lawmakers in Jefferson City failed to compromise on a sports betting bill. State Sen. Denny Hoskins (R-Warrensburg) was blamed for the legislative gridlock.

Hoskins says he isn’t against sports betting but thinks if the state wants to welcome more gambling, it should do so while creating a regulatory environment for controversial gray games that operate in restaurants, bars, gas stations, and many other small businesses. Hoskins repeatedly filibustered sports betting bills in his chamber demanding that no-chance skill games be included in the legislation.

State Sen. Caleb Rowden (R-Columbia) said Hoskins’ politicking was unwarranted.

Everybody else around the country’s doing something that we can’t because a few folks want slot machines in gas stations,” Rowden declared.

Winning for Missouri Education took sports betting into its own hands and canvassed state voters to sign on to the referendum effort. In August, Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft’s office announced that enough signatures had been verified.

After a legal challenge alleging that Ashcroft used an outdated congressional map and that thousands of signatures were erroneously obtained failed, Amendment 2 was approved for the November 5 ballot.

Caesars’ Reasons

Caesars Entertainment is one of only six commercial casino operators in Missouri. The company wants to limit sports betting to those entities and for them to choose which third-party online sportsbooks gain market access.

Amendment 2 would allow two sportsbooks to obtain full online wagering concessions without a casino partnership. It would also allow pro sports venues to enter the state gaming industry with physical and online sportsbooks.

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