Editor’s note: This is one story in a series of stories over the November elections.
By Aizak Miller
The Jag
Sports wagering is legal in 38 states, including neighboring states like Arkansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, and Kansas. This November, Amendment 2 on the ballot would legalize sports wagering in Missouri.
Kansas City Chiefs, Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Blues, St. Louis Cardinals, and the St. Louis City SC. All five professional teams are in either in St. Louis or Kansas City, both are right on the border of Kansas and Illinois. Kansas City sports fans who like to gamble will drive from Kansas City, Missouri to the border of Kansas and Missouri and right when they get into Kansas they will place their bets. Same thing goes for St. Louis fans; they drive from St. Louis, Missouri to the border of Illinois and Missouri and once they get into Illinois they place their bets. Is it right or wrong for people in Missouri to be spending money in other states for sports gambling because it is not legalized in Missouri? If Amendment 2 passes and you are 21 years of age or older you can make the bet from your living room couch.
According to missouriindependent.com, Kansas brought in millions of dollars in June from sports gambling.
“In Kansas, which legalized sports wagering in 2022, a similar taxing structure brought in $9.8 million for $172 million wagered during June,” the article reported.
You might be asking where does all this sports wagering money go to? According to an article on kcur.comthe main place the money will go to is Missouri education. The article reports legalized sports gambling would raise about $24 million for education every year. The other place is a fund to prevent gambling addictions. They estimated 5 million for preventing gambling addictions every year, but most of the money will be poured into Missouri education and public schools.
Now some people might not believe that the sports wagering money will go to Missouri education and public schools. According to a group that does not approve of amendment 2, noamendment2.com, there is not a guarantee that a single penny would go to education. They also stated that any money that could be raised from sports wagering could give politicians a “blank check” to be spent however they want.
If legalized the people in Missouri will not have to make the drive to Illinois and Kansas to place their wager. Missourians also would not spend money in other states but towards their own state Missouri. No matter if amendment 2 passes or not it will have no impact on taxes.
