Missouri Sports Wagering Lawsuit Highlights Recent Betting News

It’s been a busy week of sports betting news across the industry. Missouri’s sports betting initiative sees a lawsuit that could invalidate and block it from the November ballot. The Tennessee Sports Wagering Council has warned its residents about proxy betting. South Carolina will attempt to push sports betting in the General Assembly.

Let’s take a look at the recent sports betting news stories in these markets.

Missouri Sports Betting News: Lawsuit Threatens Initiative

A group leading the sports betting initiative in Missouri reportedly raised enough signatures to get on the November 2024 ballot. The Missouri Secretary of State certified the required signatures, putting the measure on the ballot. However, plaintiffs Jacqueline Wood and Blake Lawrence are now suing Missouri Secretary of State John Ashcroft in the Circuit Court of Cole County. The lawsuit claims Ashcroft’s determination of the sufficiency of signatures was incorrect.

The petition has four claims related to Ashcroft’s certification of the initiative.

• Ashcroft failed to take the total number of people who voted for governor in 2020, multiply that number by eight percent, and then divide that number equally among Missouri’s eight Congressional Districts, resulting in the petition not having enough signatures in the First and Fifth Congressional Districts.
• Ashcroft’s method of calculating was incorrect because it did not use the vote in the current boundaries of the First Congressional District as established in Section 128.461
• Even under Ashcroft’s method of calculating signatures, he incorrectly certified signatures submitted from the First and Fifth Congressional Districts that were not actually legal signatures
• If Ashcroft’s method of calculating signatures is valid under Article III, Sections 50 and 53 of the Missouri Constitution, then it impermissibly and knowingly decreased the weight of a Third Congressional District voter’s signature when compared to the weight of a First Congressional District voter’s signature

If the lawsuit is successful, the Missouri sports betting initiative will not be on the November ballot. The signatures will be ruled invalid. All six Missouri professional teams support the initiative. St. Louis Cardinals President Bill Dewitt III calls the lawsuit “completely without merit, as Missourians came out in force to sign the petition that will be on the ballot in November.”

Tennessee Sports Wagering Council Warns Against Proxy Betting

Tennessee is taking a stance against proxy sports betting, the act of wagering on another’s behalf. Ahead of the NFL betting season, the Tennessee Sports Wagering Council (SWC) reminds residents that proxy betting is illegal in the Volunteer State. Violators face up to 30 days in jail on the first offense.

“The SWC’s primary role is the protection of the public interest of Tennessee through a safe, regulated environment, and those who wager on behalf of another in Tennessee directly contribute to an unsafe environment that can lead to risky gambling behavior as well as sports integrity and age-related issues,” said Mary Beth Thomas, SWC Executive Director.

Proxy betting makes it difficult for regulators to monitor who is betting on sports at Tennessee sportsbooks, particularly underage bettors and student-athletes. The SWC cites a survey conducted by the NCAA. Of the 3,500 18-22-year-olds surveyed, 58% engaged in at least one sports betting activity. NCAA rules ban prospective athletes from engaging in sports betting. If found, the NCAA will revoke their student-athlete eligibility.

South Carolina Sports Betting Attempts

The continued success of the North Carolina sports betting market has kept lawmakers motivated to launch betting in South Carolina. The General Assembly reconvenes in January, and lawmakers will attempt to push a sports betting initiative. Two bipartisan bills to legalize betting failed in previous legislative sessions.  

“The success in terms of the tax revenue generated already in North Carolina will be enticing. I would imagine that we’re going to see more of those types of [sports betting] bills and that there’s a good chance it would be legalized in the next couple years.”

Stephen Shapiro of the University of South Carolina Department of Sport and Entertainment Management

For FY 2024, North Carolina sportsbooks saw $1,902,389,898 in wagers and $275,130,495 in gross gaming revenue (GGR). NC taxes sportsbooks at an 18% rate on GGR, seeing $49,523,489 for the state. South Carolina is looking to bolster its own coffers with added tax revenue from sports betting. Hopeful sports betting fans in South Carolina can expect news in 2025.

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