Earlier this month, DraftKings donated $3.5 million to Winning for Missouri Education, a ballot initiative to legalize sports betting in Missouri.
The donation is DraftKings’ sixth to the campaign since the start of 2024, according to the Missouri Ethics Commission. DraftKings has donated just under $6 million to the effort since the start of the year as the sports betting operator signals its strong desire to operate in Missouri.
FanDuel has also donated over $4 million to Winning for Missouri Education since the beginning of the year, according to the Missouri Ethics Commission.
Missouri's professional sports franchises, including the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs and MLB's St. Louis Cardinals, have also voiced their support for Winning for Missouri Education. The franchises often cite increased fan engagement as a reason for wanting to legalize sports betting in the state.
Ballot Initiative Not a Sure Thing
While DraftKings and FanDuel are putting their financial muscle behind the ballot initiative, recent polling suggests the November vote could still be a toss-up.
An Emerson College Polling/The Hill survey conducted in mid-June found that 38.3% of respondents supported legalizing sports wagering. Another 35.4% were against legal sports betting, and the rest of respondents weren’t sure. The survey included responses from 1,000 registered voters in the Show-Me State.
A pair of other polls related to the topic yielded wildly different results. A February poll conducted by St. Louis University and YouGov found 60% of respondents supporting legal sports betting, while a May poll conducted by Remington Research Group found that 60% of respondents were against sports betting legalization.
If the ballot measure goes through, sports betting in Missouri would be regulated by the Missouri Gaming Commission. Operators would be taxed at 10% of gross gaming revenue, and tax revenue would benefit the state’s education measures.
