Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft said on Tuesday that initiative petitions raising the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour and legalizing sports betting received more than enough valid signatures from registered voters to qualify for the general election. It will need approval from a majority of voters to become enshrined in the state constitution.
The initiatives will appear on the ballot alongside candidates for top offices, including governor, U.S. Senate, and state legislature.
The sports betting initiative has been financed largely by the parent companies of DraftKings and FanDuel but is also backed by Missouri’s six professional sports teams, which would control onsite betting and advertising near their stadiums and arenas.
Thirty-eight states and the District of Columbia already offer some form of sports wagering, which has expanded rapidly since the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for it in 2018. Missouri sports teams turned to the initiative process after efforts to legalize sports betting were repeatedly thwarted in the state Senate.
“Missouri is now just one step away from joining most other states in legalizing sports betting and being able to provide millions of dollars to Missouri classrooms,” St. Louis Cardinals President Bill DeWitt III said in a statement Tuesday.
The minimum wage measure would increase the state’s current rate of $12.30 an hour to $13.75 an hour in 2025 and $15 an hour by 2026, with annual adjustments for inflation after that. It also would require employers to provide paid sick leave.
