Latest SLU Polling Numbers Show Missouri Voters Support Sports Betting

• The latest poll from Saint Louis University and YouGov shows Missouri voters are in favor of sports betting
• Overall, 50% of likely Missouri voters support a constitutional amendment to legalize sports betting
• Democrats, voters from the St. Louis and Kansas City metro areas heavily support legalization

The latest results from a Saint Louis University Research Institute and YouGov poll show likely Missouri voters are in support of a constitutional amendment to legalize Missouri sports betting apps and retail betting.

The most recent Saint Louis University (SLU)/YouGov poll of 900 likely Missouri voters found that 50% of respondents support a constitutional amendment to legalize sports betting, compared with just 30% in opposition.

Support for the amendment was significant among Democrat voters and those who live in the St. Louis and Kansas City metro areas.

Voters Support Missouri Sports Betting

According to poll results, 50% of respondents support the constitutional amendment to legalize sports betting, 30% oppose the amendment, and 21% are unsure of how they will vote.

“This amendment seems very likely to pass,” Kenneth Warren, Ph.D., wrote in a notice on the poll results.

Respondents from the St. Louis and Kansas City metro areas were heavily in support of the amendment, with 56% and 58% of respondents respectively favoring the amendment. Most rural area respondents were less likely to vote in favor of the amendment, with only 42% in Northeast Missouri, 40% in southwest Missouri, and just 34% in southeast Missouri supporting the amendment.

Northwest Missouri was the only rural area to buck the trend, as 57% of poll respondents support the amendment.

Young voters more favored sports betting legalization than older voters, with 64% of those in the 18 to 29 age group noting they would vote in its favor, the highest approval percentage for any age group in the poll. Only 44% of those 65 and over said they would vote in favor of the amendment.

Those with higher educational levels and income were more in favor of the sports betting amendment compared with those with less education and income.

“55% of those with graduate education favored the amendment, 56% with four-year college degrees, 51% with some college and 42% with high school or less education. 62% of those having household incomes above $100,000 favored the amendment, 50% between $50,000 and $100,000, and 43% of those below $50,000,” the poll authors wrote.

The SLU/YouGov poll certainly showed more support for sports betting than published results from an Emerson College poll this past June.

The Emerson College poll showed Missouri voters were split on the potential legalization of sports betting, with 38% of respondents saying they would vote to legalize sports betting while 35% would vote against it. However, 26% of respondents noted they were not sure how they would vote at the time.

Will the Question Be on the Ballot?

Despite the favorable outcomes for sports betting, Missouri voters may not get the opportunity to decide on its fate in the Nov. 5 general election.

A lawsuit filed in the Circuit Court of Cole County against Missouri Secretary of State John “Jay” Ashcroft asserts that the official improperly certified the sports wagering petition for the upcoming general election.

The plaintiffs allege that Ashcroft incorrectly calculated the necessary number of valid signatures for the petition to appear on the ballot and the campaign did not reach the signature threshold in all necessary Missouri counties.

The Winning for Missouri Education coalition submitted more than 340,000 signatures to place the sports betting question on the state’s November 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 are supporting the sports betting initiative in the state.

However, the plaintiffs allege that Ashcroft did not correctly calculate the number of signatures because he failed “to take the total number of people who voted for governor in 2020, multiply that number by eight percent, and then divide that number equally among Missouri’s eight Congressional Districts.”

The lawsuit claims that if Ashcroft had correctly calculated the number of necessary signatures, the initiative would have also fallen short in the state’s first and fifth Congressional District.

An initial hearing for the lawsuit will take place on Thursday, Sept. 5.