Missouri Sports Betting Bills Heading for Referendum, Proposals Backed by Sports Teams

November 23, 2023


Missouri Secretary of State John Ashcroft signed off on a series of proposed sports betting bills this week, marking a crucial step in the journey to a regulated Missouri sports betting market.

The proposals are backed by a coalition of the state’s famous professional sports teams, including the St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Chiefs, Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Blues, Sporting St. Louis, and Kansas City Current.

The proposals aim to bypass the Missouri State Senate, where sports betting bills have previously stalled, and instead take the issue straight to voters.

Organizers are now tasked with gathering over 170,000 signatures to place a measure on the ballot, aiming for voter approval in the upcoming elections.

If successful, this move could amend the Missouri Constitution, allowing the Commission to regulate online betting and Missouri retail sportsbooks.

Fiscal Implications and Regulations

The proposed sports betting framework entails limiting betting to individuals over 21 years old, with a 10% tax on sportsbook revenues.

While initial estimates predict one-time costs of $660K and annual costs of at least $5.2 million for establishing a sports betting program, revenue generation remains uncertain.

Organizers have projected state tax revenues ranging from $0 to $28.9 million annually, with the proceeds dedicated to education spending after covering the Gaming Commission’s expenses. Some funds will also be earmarked for a Problem Gambling Prevention Fund.

The proposal would enable sports betting at the 13 Missouri casinos, as well as professional sports arenas, and through online mobile sportsbooks​​.

Action Taken After Legislative Hurdles

Despite the House of Representatives’ overwhelming support for a new sports betting law earlier this year, the initiative faced a roadblock in the Senate, leading to a stalemate.

This impasse, largely attributed to one state Senator, Denny Hoskins, reflects the complexities in Missouri’s legislative process regarding sports betting.

Hoskins has expressed support for sports betting, but is advocating for a legal framework for slots-like “skill gaming” machines.

With the legislature reconvening in January, the fate of sports betting in Missouri remains in flux. That is why this coalition of lawmakers and sports teams is pushing for a direct petition to have a referendum.

Bill DeWitt III, St. Louis Cardinals president, is one of the most vocal backers of the proposals. He says he would prefer the legislative route, saving a costly and risky voting campaign. But if a vote is required, then he will support that.

“I would be thrilled if we could get legislative action, because then we wouldn’t have to do it,” he said, speaking on Tuesday. “I’m hopeful, but I’m also being realistic.”

Next Steps and Potential Challenges

Moving forward, the coalition led by professional sports teams will decide which of the eight proposed ballot versions to pursue before initiating a signature collection strategy. This decision process involves consultations with gambling operators and other stakeholders.  

However, a recent poll indicates potential resistance among Missouri voters, with a majority reportedly opposing the legalization of sports betting.

Bypassing the state legislature is therefore no guarantee of a sports betting bill passing. Recently, a planned casino resort in Virginia’s state capital Richmond was rejected by voters for a second time after lawmakers recommended a referendum.

That casino’s backers, Kentucky-based horse race betting operator Churchill Downs and local Virginia consortium Urban One, pulled out all the stops for the campaign, including putting on a free concert with funk and soul legends The Isley Brothers.

However, the casino idea was ultimately rejected for a decisive second time.

On the other hand, these sports betting proposals in Missouri will have financial and promotional backing from the popular local sports teams, which could have a big influence on the vote. Fans may look forward to baseball betting on 11-time World Series winners the St. Louis Cardinals, and/or betting on football via last season’s Super Bowl LVII-winning Kansas City Chiefs.

Euro 2024 Odds: Betting Predictions and Picks

Euro 2024 will be held in Germany from June 14 to July 14, 2024. We’re in the early stages of qualifications with no more than two games being played per side.

In total 24 will participate in the tournament, and 23 of those sides will come through the qualification process. As hosts, Germany automatically qualifies. 

We’re a year out from one of soccer’s most important tournaments – and with lots of qualifying matches left to play – but let’s take an early look at the odds board and who’s favored to win.

Odds to Win 2024 Euro

Odds to win Euro 2024
Team Odds
France +500
Germany +550
England +600
Spain +750
Portugal +1000
Belgium +1200
Italy +1200
Netherlands +1400
Denmark +2000
Croatia +3500

Odds as of June 13

Why Is France Favored to Win Euro 2024?

On an international level, the French are the second-best side. Les Bleus were runners-up at the 2022 World Cup. On that World Cup journey in Qatar, France took out some strong European opponents.

They bested Denmark 2-1 in the group stage (the Danish hold the ninth-best Euro odds), Poland in the Round of 16 by a score of 3-1 (Poland is at +5000 for Euro 2024) and then France dispatched the English 2-1 in the Quarter-Finals (England is third on Euro odds board).

Through the short qualification period, France is 2-0-0 with a +5 goal differential while keeping two clean sheets with wins over Ireland and the Netherlands. 

Star power is another big factor to consider, and the Bleu-Blanc-Rouge have the biggest star of them all in Kylian Mbappe. The PSG forward has no flaws in his game and dominates at every level. 

In Qatar, Mbappe scored the most goals (8), lead the tournament in goal-creating actions with 11 (five more than the next best-player) and was third for goal-creating actions per 90 (1.74). When it comes to unlocking a game there’s no better player in Europe or even the world than Mbappe.

Euro 2024 Value 

France enters the tournament as slight favorites, what sides have greater value and have a chance to win instead of the favorites?

Germany

The hosts are just behind France on the oddsboard at +550. Because of their host status, we don’t have any sense of the form their in. They haven’t played any games because they don’t need to qualify.

If not for a shock 2-1 loss to Japan in the group stage of the 2022 World Cup, Germany would have likely gone much further. They bounced back from that defeat to the Blue Samurai with a 1-1 draw with a strong Spanish side before dismantling Costa Rica 4-2 to close out their tournament. 

The Germans will hope that youngster Jamal Musiala builds off a strong World Cup where he was credited with 7.67 shot-creating actions per 90 and an even better 22-23 Bundesliga campaign where he scored 12 goals and had ten assists for Bayern in his 19-year-old season. The kid is only going to get much better.

England

The English are the top-ranked side in Group C of Euro qualifiers with wins over Ukraine (2-0) and Italy (2-1).

Gareth Southgate’s side is winning games they should (against Ukraine) and those where they’re second best (vs Italy). Against the Azzurri, England only had 42% of the possession and 42% of the shots, they even went down a man in the 80th minute thanks to a Luke Shaw red card and still won 2-1. 

With Southgate’s contract over in December of 2024, this will likely be his final major tournament. His sides have come close to glory a few times but never won a title. Sadly for the three lions, their returns have been diminishing for the last few years.

England Under Southgate
Tournament Finish
2018 World Cup 4th
2022 Wold Cup 6th
2020 Euro Runner-Up
2019 UEFA Nations League 3rd
2021 UEFA Nations League 9th
2023 UEFA Nations League 15th

2024 Euro Dark horse

Every Euro tournament has its dark horse. A team comes out of nowhere and makes a deep run and upsets the landscape. 

In 2020, that was the Swiss who finished third in Group A and made it to the Quarter-Finals after beating France in the Round of 16.

Who should you have your eyes on in 2024?

Netherlands

The Dutch are no strangers to this competition. They won it once in 1988 and placed third four times. That last third-place finish came in 2004. 

At the 2022 World Cup, the Flying Dutchmen finished fourth with the third youngest squad in the competition. They had an average age of 26. Forward Cody Gakpo was a revelation with three goals in five matches for the Oranje in Qatar. 

There’s a lot to like about Holland. At +1400, keep an eye on their qualifying. 

Croatia

The Croatians are at the top of Group D with four points in two qualifiers. Remember, they finished as runners-up at the 2018 World Cup and then third in Qatar. Never discount Croatia at a major international tournament. With +3500 odds you could make $350 on a $10 bet backing them this early. That’s very tempting. 

Last Five Euro Winners

Last 5 Euro Winners
Year Team Opening Odds
2004 Greece +15000
2008 Spain +450
2012 Spain +250
2016 Portugal +1800
2020 Italy +700

 

Favorites typically win this tournament. They have deep squads overflowing with some of the most talented players in all of Europe. But every few years a dark horse goes all the way and is crowned Kings of Europe.

At +15000 Greece, and those who bet on them, haven’t yet forgotten about that tournament in 2004.

Last Five Euro Runners-Up 

Last 5 Euro Runners-Up
Year Team Score
2004 Portugal Lost 1-0 to Greece
2008 Germany Lost 1-0 to Spain
2012 Italy Lost 4-0 to Spain
2016 France Lost 1-0 to Portugal*
2020 England Lost 3-2 to Italy**

*After extra time
**Game tied 1-1 after extra time, ended 3-2 in penalties

The Euro finals are a low-scoring affair. Over the last five tournaments, three or more goals have been scored only once. It’s worth exploring the UNDER when the Final comes up in July of 2024.

How to Read Euro 2024 Odds

At any soccer betting site, you’ll see futures odds laid out like so:

  • England +500
  • Belgium +550
  • France +550
  • Spain +700

If you were to make a traditional straight-up bet, the favorite would be shown with the minus sign (-). In cases like these where there is no clear front-runner, the country with the lowest odds is the fave even if they’re all represented with the plus sign (+) which is generally used to demonstrate underdogs.

Let’s say you’ve looked at the group schedule and think Belgium is going to dominate and make it all the way to the top. A $100 bet would give you a payout of $650 – your original money is returned coupled with your winnings of $550.

Our Odds Calculator is a tool that will tell you how much you’d win based on the offered odds and amount bet.

What is a Futures Bet on the Euro Championship?

A futures bet is a wager made far in advance of a big event. Here, the bet is on the quadrennial Euro contest. It can be said that most bets are made prior to a sporting matchup, but futures can be placed weeks, months or even years in advance. In fact, as soon as the last championship is won, new odds will be released.

The odds will shift as the group stage gets closer and continue to move until right before the final is played on July 14, 2024, at the Olympiastadion in Berlin. If you see odds you like, take them to get the most value on your bets (should you win).