No states have legalized online sports betting in 2024, but Missouri could change that before the calendar flips to 2025.
The question of legalizing sports betting in the Show Me State is currently expected to be on the November ballot, thanks to an initiative effort from Winning for Missouri Education. The measure, which has the backing of the state’s professional sports franchises, would allow for sports betting in Missouri and tax revenue would benefit the state’s educational initiatives.
Interestingly, however, there’s a lawsuit challenging the validity of the signatures that put the question on the ballot.
Lawsuit Against the Ballot Initiative
The recently filed lawsuit questions how signatures were counted, suggesting the Secretary of State’s office inaccurately allowed the question of legalizing sports wagering to appear on the November ballot. If successful, the lawsuit could take sports betting off the ballot.
If the question makes it on the ballot, it’s not a guarantee Missouri voters will approve sports betting. DraftKings and FanDuel have both donated significant amounts of money to Winning for Missouri Education, however, suggesting there could be a calculated advertising push come this fall to persuade Missourians to vote in favor of sports gambling legalization.
Sports betting industry stakeholders will keep close tabs on the ballot initiative in the coming weeks as the lawsuit unfolds.
States to Monitor in 2025 and Beyond
If Missouri’s ballot initiative doesn’t work out, the state’s legislature will likely consider legalizing sports betting in the near future. Minnesota, Georgia, California, Texas and South Carolina are among the states that could legalize online sports betting in the coming years as well.
For sports betting operators, California and Texas are viewed as the biggest prizes due to their substantial populations. Previous efforts in California have failed, but operators have seemingly learned their lesson that there won’t be legal online sports betting in the state without tribal support. There's a path forward for California sports betting legalization in the coming years.
As for Texas, a push for casino expansion could put sports betting legalization on the backburner during the 2025 legislative session. Still, expect stakeholders to lobby politicians to consider multiple forms of gambling expansion in the Lone Star State in 2025 and beyond. (Texas' state legislature only meets every other year, it's worth noting.)
Georgia and Minnesota legislators have considered various sports betting bills for years, only for talks to stall out. South Carolina has made minimal progress toward legalization, but North Carolina’s recent legalization of online sports betting could change the outlook in the Palmetto State.
