A court judge recently upheld the Missouri sports betting initiative, allowing it to stay on the November ballot. Judge Daniel Green of the Cole County Circuit Court ruled in favor of Jay Ashcroft, Missouri Secretary of State, on all counts.

A lawsuit was seeking to remove the initiative petition from the ballot after it was certified by Jay Ashcroft. It raised questions about whether enough signatures had been collected from registered voters for the initiative to qualify. To get on to the ballot, an initiative petition must receive signatures from 8% of legal votes in six of the eight congressional districts in Missouri.

Claims that signatures were invalid

In the hearing, the plaintiffs presented 768 signatures they wanted the court to invalidate for various reasons. They argued that some signatures didn’t match the voters, people weren’t eligible to vote, or addresses for voters didn’t match those on the files.

The judge said the plaintiffs did not present enough evidence to qualify their handwriting expert and he didn’t help their cause. Cards that indicated inactive voter status were printed after the filing of the lawsuit. The judge said they didn’t reflect voter status at the time of signing the petition.

His final decision was that the evidence presented by the plaintiffs was insufficient and the petition did not meet the minimum qualifications. Residents of Missouri are eager to join sports bettors who can bet in many US states where sports betting is now legal. Judge Green’s decision was a victory for Missourians who have watched for too many years as fans cross state lines to place sports bets.

Other claims

A different claim has been made regarding the method used by the Secretary of State to calculate the number of votes required in each district. The plaintiffs argued that this number should be based on the congressional district maps after the 2020 election. However, the judge found no evidence to determine what the plaintiff’s targeted number should be. In his ruling, Judge Green explained that the same method is used by other secretaries of state and has been used in previous initiatives.

There was also a counterclaim from the Winning for Missouri Education Committee, which raised more than $6.5 million to support the online sports betting initiative petition and said it was harmed by the plaintiffs’ allegations. Judge Green dismissed this claim, saying it was ‘moot’ due to a lack of evidence.

Appeal unlikely

The plaintiffs were represented in court by Attorney Marc Ellinger. A final ruling is required soon to finalize the ballot which means the plaintiffs are unlikely to appeal. They will have to accept the decision of Judge Green.

The US gambling market forecast is very positive, and it is poised for accelerated growth. If the proposed initiative in Missouri is approved, it would mean that a considerable amount in licensing fees and taxes would go to problem gambling programs and toward public education. A recent poll suggests that around 50% of respondents would support a sports betting measure while 30% would oppose it. Other respondents were still unsure.