JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Missouri petitioners will be turning in signatures to the Secretary of State’s office Thursday afternoon in an effort to get sports betting on the November ballot.

The petitions have been led by Missouri’s six professional sports franchises. Team representatives will be at the Secretary of State’s office today to speak, along with representatives from Winning for Missouri Education.

Winning for Missouri Education is backing the initiative petition drive to legalize sports betting in the state to help fund public education.

Data from GeoComply shows the desire for sports betting is strong and growing in Missouri. During Super Bowl weekend, more than 431,000 bets were blocked in Missouri from people trying to access sportsbooks in other states.

The location detection software said this is a 51% increase from the 2023 Super Bowl.

Of those blocked bets, 48% were attempting to access Kansas sportsbooks and 37% were attempting to do the same in Illinois.

After petitions to legalize sports betting in Missouri are turned in Thursday, the Secretary of State’s office will have to certify the signatures. The petition needs signatures from 5% of legal voters in six-of-eight voting districts to get on a statewide ballot.

Once on the ballot, questions need a simple majority to pass.

The Missouri Legislature has tried for years to pass a sports betting bill. Although it has previously passed the Missouri House of Representatives, the Senate has not come to an agreement.

If passed by voters, the petitions would make it legal for Missourians to place bets on professional and college teams through casinos or platforms like Draft Kings and FanDuel. Fans could also place prop bets.

Initiative petition signatures are due to the Secretary of State’s office on Sunday. Other petitioners are also turning in signatures to get their questions on the November ballot.

This comes as lawmakers are trying to pass initiative petition reform, which would make it harder for voters to get their questions on the ballot.

Check back for updates.

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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – Over 210,000 signatures were collected across the state to put earned sick leave and a higher minimum wage on the 2024 state ballot.

Missourians for Health Families and Fair Wages, low-wage workers, and supporters gathered at the Capitol Wednesday to submit the signatures to the Secretary of State’s Office.

“It would be a lot easier to where we don’t have to choose which bill is going to be paid or what’s going to be shut off,” said Marieta Ortiz, a restaurant worker in Kansas City. “As a single parent, that’s a constant worry.”

The measure says Missouri workers would earn 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked and would raise the minimum wage to $13.75 by Jan. 1, 2025 and $15 by Jan. 1, 2026.

Ortiz says she felt excited and overwhelmed turning in the signatures she helped collect before going to work. Recently, she said she got sick and had to take 4 days off of work.

“So, I missed 90 hours’ worth plus tips worth of pay and a bill was still due later that week and it got shut off,” said Ortiz. “Looking at my kids, they ask why the water, lights, or gas got shut off and it just broke my heart. I feel like a horrible mom when my bills are due and I can’t afford them because I have no paid sick days.”

If allowed on the state ballot and passed, she says it would be a weight off her and thousands of other low wage workers’ shoulders.

“Help us low wage workers be able to provide better for our families,” said Ortiz. “We don’t have to worry about the lights, gas, water, or being evicted from our place.”

The signatures will now go through a verification process by the Secretary of State’s Office. If approved, it will go on the state ballot later this year.

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