Campaigners against sports betting in Missouri pull TV ads

The Missourians Against the Deceptive Online Gambling Amendment campaign has cancelled its television adverts.

US.- The campaign against a vote on a constitutional amendment to allow sports betting in Missouri has pulled television ads. As reported by the Missouri Independent, the Missourians Against the Deceptive Online Gambling Amendment campaign cancelled $1.2m in television adverts, many of which had been purchased several weeks earlier.

Spokesperson Brooke Foster told the Independent that the ads were pulled to enable the campaign to focus on “grassroots outreach and community conversations” for the two weeks before the November 5 election. The anti-gambling campaign has received high-profile support from gaming operator Caesars. The company, the only one of Missouri’s six licensed casino operators to publicly oppose the ballot measure, has contributed more than $14m.

The proposed Amendment 2 would legalise retail and online sports betting in the state. The Winning for Missouri Education coalition submitted more than 340,000 signatures to get the question on the state’s general election ballot. The St. Louis Blues, Kansas City Chiefs, St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals, St. Louis CITY SC and the Kansas City Current support the initiative.

Missouri would tax sports betting at 10 per cent, with $5m allocated to a fund intended to help prevent compulsive gambling. The remainder would go to public schools and higher education.