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SportsTranscript
00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 - We haven't talked about Missouri in a while.
00:05 And so good to hear that there is some progress here,
00:08 at least trying to get this thing going once again.
00:10 Looks like a possibility for Pat next year.
00:14 And so maybe football season next year,
00:15 Missouri gets sports betting?
00:18 - Yeah, this is, as your loyal viewers will know
00:22 and listeners will know,
00:23 Missouri is just a, it's kind of a cesspool right now
00:27 in terms of what's going on
00:28 in the sports betting legislative world.
00:30 And this might be the best route.
00:32 Earlier this summer, I talked with Bill DeWitt III,
00:36 the president of the Cardinals,
00:38 kind of the leader of a coalition
00:40 of professional sports teams and casinos
00:43 hoping to legalize sports betting in Missouri.
00:45 And they're pretty fed up with Denny Hoskins,
00:49 the senator who's kind of leading the charge
00:52 to include video lottery terminals in a sports betting bill,
00:57 which is not very popular with any other legislators
01:00 or many other legislators.
01:01 And so that's kind of derailed any legislative efforts
01:04 the past two years.
01:05 And by the sounds of it,
01:07 I talked with Hoskins at a conference this summer
01:09 and then talked to DeWitt again this summer.
01:11 And it doesn't sound from either side
01:15 that Hoskins is going to back down
01:18 and allow it to pass and get a governor's signature.
01:21 So instead the coalition is putting together,
01:24 they did put together four separate ballot petitions
01:28 to get it to the voters next November.
01:31 They're pretty much in line with the legislation.
01:35 The casinos and sports teams would get licenses.
01:38 The only difference in each one is
01:41 there's four separate ones
01:42 and it's one through four available licenses
01:45 to standalone apps
01:47 rather than having to partner with a casino or a team.
01:52 And it's open for public comment right now.
01:55 Then the secretary of state has to approve it
01:57 and then it'll go out.
01:58 It has to get something like 172 or 75,000 signatures
02:03 to be put on the ballot next year.
02:07 And then if it gets voted, approved by voters,
02:12 it says sports betting has to launch by December 31st, 2025.
02:17 Now there comes the other issue,
02:19 how popular of a issue is this in Missouri?
02:24 I think people like us who pay attention to this a lot
02:27 probably have a little bit of a slant and say,
02:31 oh yeah, everybody wants it.
02:33 But a poll this year in Missouri said only about 35% said,
02:38 yes, we do want sports betting on college
02:40 and professional sports.
02:42 There's plenty of undecided people.
02:44 So it would be a pretty close vote, I think.
02:48 But I guess that's to be determined.
02:50 Polls are, how much do you trust polls?
02:54 So yeah.
02:55 But yeah, this is, I think, movement in the right direction
02:59 'cause again, DeWitt said,
03:02 we've got one more legislative session,
03:03 maybe something can happen and push through there.
03:06 Otherwise, Missourians get to vote on it
03:09 and have their own say.
03:10 (upbeat music)
03:14 [MUSIC]