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St. Louis Democratic Central Committee Opposes Missouri Sports Betting

Andrew Reid

Last Updated: November 1, 2024 2:29 PM EDT • 1 min 31 sec read.

St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington as we look at the St. Louis Democratic Central Committee opposes Missouri sports betting.
St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington against the Philadelphia Flyers during the first period at Wells Fargo Center. Photo by: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images.

We're just days away from a vote that could lead to residents of Missouri gaining access to some of our best sports betting sites. 

Amendment 2 will be put forth to Missouri residents on Nov. 5, Election Day. It will legalize Missouri sports betting if passed. There have been plenty of opinions on both sides of the debate, and just days away a new voice has entered the ring in opposition to the bill. 

The St. Louis Democratic Central Committee has voiced opposition to the legalization of sports betting in the state. The Central Committee serves as the governing body of the St. Louis County Democratic Party. It consists of local Democrats voters elected to represent each of the 28 county townships, along with partisan-level Democratic elected officials and nominees who participate as Ex Officio Officers.

The issues

The committee released a statement earlier in the week that it was supporting all city and state ballot questions, except Amendment 2. 

The organization's chair, Sean Fauss, reported issues with the language in the amendment, namely as it relates to taxes that would flow into needy state and local offers. Estimates for revenue range from $0 to $28.9 million due to how taxes will be applied to potential operators. Other opponents of the Amendment have also raised this issue.

Elad Gross, the Democratic candidate for AG, also expressed concerns for how tax revenues would be applied to problem gambling resources. 

Amendment 2

The push to legalize sports betting in Missouri gained traction in January when the state’s professional sports teams launched a petition to bring the issue to the November ballot. Winning for Missouri Education had collected 340,000 signatures come August—more than twice the required 170,000.

Gambling giants DraftKings and FanDuel have contributed approximately $43 million to Winning for Missouri Education, positioning themselves to secure one of Missouri's two online sports betting licenses if the measure passes.

On the other side, the opposing group, Missourians Against the Deceptive Online Gambling Amendment (MADOGA), has received around $14 million in funding from Caesars, which also operates its own sportsbook. Though Caesars generally supports sports betting, it opposes the specifics of Amendment 2. MADOGA spokesperson Brooke Foster emphasized concerns that the state's financial gains might fall short of expectations.

“We are building a broad coalition and are prepared to wage a vigorous campaign to educate voters across the state and ensure the measure is defeated,” Foster stated.

Written By:
Andrew Reid
Andrew is a Publishing Editor at Sportsbook Review. He graduated from Acadia University with a degree in Kinesiology, working as a personal trainer and in injury rehab, and then attended the College of Sports Media in Toronto to attain a diploma in Radio and Television Sports Broadcasting. Andrew has been involved in the sports betting and fantasy sports space since joining the FNTSY Sports Network in 2014, where he worked as a producer, director, and occasional on-air talent on various shows focusing on sports betting and DFS content. Prior to joining SBR, he spent multiple years with the USA Today Network as an editor and writer. Living in Newfoundland, Andrew frequents grey market sportsbooks, but in the past, when he's lived in regulated areas, he's become well-versed with all of our best sportsbooks. As strictly a casual bettor, he enjoys making touchdown parlays with friends (bro-lays), sweating out golf cut parlays during majors, playing same-game parlays for fun, and chasing long-shot bets. He also enjoys using sportsbooks that have solid iGaming and casino platforms. As the old guy on staff, he has an affinity for industry news, which confuses some, but shh ... quiet ... the news is on.