The Star’s endorsement on Missouri Amendment 2 legalizing sports gambling | Opinion
Here is our endorsement on Amendment 2 for the general election. For more information about the Nov. 5 election, check out our Voter Guide.
We make this recommendation with some hesitation. We understand that sports betting, in excess, can hurt gamblers and their families and friends.
However, we recommend a yes vote on Amendment 2, which would legalize sports gambling in Missouri.
“The problem with gambling is the subtle way it can take over your behavior and sensibility,” the Mayo Clinic says. “The outcomes tend to be the same: damage to your relationships, bank accounts, credit rating, and overall mental and physical health.”
Young adults are particularly vulnerable. “Sports betting is having an enormous impact on society and it is disproportionately impacting the lives of young men who are less risk-averse and interested in sports,” says the Center for Public Justice.
These concerns are real. But they won’t go away if voters reject Amendment 2: 38 states, including Kansas, Illinois, Iowa and Arkansas, now allow some type of sports wagering. Missourians can easily travel to other states to place legal bets on sporting events.
For some, a bet on the Royals or Chiefs is just a ten-minute drive away. If sports betting is going to happen, and it is, we think it’s better to keep the money in the state.
Thoughts on sports betting
Is betting immoral? Apparently not. It’s already easy to gamble in other ways in Missouri, including the state-run lottery and in what are laughingly called “excursion gambling boats.” You know them as casinos.
The state’s voters considered the moral case against wagering decades ago, and decided that adults can make up their own minds about the propriety of the practice.
That’s why it’s beyond parody that the main campaign organization opposing Amendment 2 is largely funded by casinos. One local casino, for example, has given the opposition committee $4.7 million for TV ads and online commercials against the measure.
Are the casinos worried about excessive gambling? Do they think betting is wrong? Of course not. They simply don’t want the competition. That’s hypocrisy at the highest level. We think Missourians are sensible enough to make up their own minds about gambling in whatever form they wish.
The ballot measure places sports gambling under the oversight of the Missouri Gaming Commission, which would have broad responsibilities for considering sports betting license requests. The commission is charged with issuing the licenses by December of 2025.
The constitutional amendment would allow sports books on gaming boats, on mobile phones, and in what are called “professional sports betting districts.” Make no mistake: that could mean wagering at the Truman Sports Complex, or wherever the Chiefs and Royals end up.
The teams, along with the St. Louis Cardinals, have long been involved in convincing the state to allow sports wagering. The idea has stalled in the Missouri Legislature because of an unrelated debate over wagering terminals in gas stations and bars.
The amendment requires bettors to be 21 years of age or older, and they must present in the state to place a wager. It establishes a “Compulsive Gaming Prevention Fund,” also under the supervision of the Gaming Commission, with a starting budget of at least $5 million.
Will revenue go to schools?
It establishes a 10% tax on sports gaming revenues, with the money to be used for elementary and secondary schools as well as colleges and universities. Missourians should be skeptical of this promise: the General Assembly can easily use gaming money for schools and then move general tax revenue somewhere else.
Remember, the state promised revenues from the lottery and casinos would go to education. Why, then, are teacher salaries so low? If Missourians want better schools, and better-paid teachers, they must look to lawmakers to spend the funds, and not to campaign promises from gambling interests of any type.
It also isn’t clear at all how much money sports gambling will generate for the state. It could be almost $29 million a year, according to the official estimate, or it could be $0. At least some revenue will go to the Gaming Commission so it can carry out its duties related to wagering.
Yes, the financial details are murky, and the damages from gambling are real. Those problems will give some voters pause, as they did for us.
But Missourians can and will bet on sports, either in the state or somewhere else. We think the opportunity should be available here, and we recommend yes on Constitutional Amendment 2.
This story was originally published October 9, 2024 at 5:06 AM.