Variety of initiatives

Americans take to the polls on Tuesday to decide if they want Donald Trump or Kamala Harris to be the next president. Among the many other choices that will appear down ballot are gambling-related questions in five states.

Missouri, Arkansas, Colorado, Maryland, and Virginia

Constitutional amendments are often necessary to change state laws to allow for certain forms of gambling expansion, as is the case in Missouri, Arkansas, Colorado, Maryland, and Virginia. This article looks at the measures up for consideration Tuesday in each of these jurisdictions.

Missouri

Voters in Missouri will decide if they want to legalize sports betting and allow commercial casinos.

Proponents of legal sports betting like DraftKings and FanDuel donated over $40m to campaigns to convince voters, the most donations any ballot issue has gotten in the state’s history.

aims to introduce sportsbooks by no later than December 2025

While major sports teams also back Amendment 2, Caesars Entertainment, which operates three casinos in the state, spent about $14m opposing betting legalization. The proposal aims to introduce sportsbooks by no later than December 2025 and implement a 10% tax on revenues.

Amendment 5 looks to allow a new casino close to the Lake of the Ozarks. Bally’s Corporation and local real estate developers have spent over $10m pushing the matter, with no major opponents coming out of the woodwork.

Arkansas

Pope County citizens will vote on Issue 2 to decide if they support the development of a casino or if countywide voter approval is necessary to add a casino license and as a result, repeal the issuance of a license in June to the Cherokee Nation Entertainment by the Arkansas Racing Commission.

The previous attempt in 2018 to allow casinos saw Jefferson, Garland, and Crittenden counties getting the green light to proceed, with 60% of voters in Pope County opposing the proposal for a property in their vicinity.

Those against Issue 2 believe a casino would generate $5bn in economic growth for the area, while those for the measure say that Pope County residents already rejected the proposal in 2018 and should respect that decision.

Colorado

Proposition JJ in Colorado is a more minor issue than what people in Arkansas and Missouri will vote on, as it looks to change the distribution of sports betting revenue.

If it gains passage, the proposition will allow the state to retain any tax revenue over a $29m annual threshold. In the current structure, the state must refund any tax revenue over this total to sportsbook operators and casinos.

Virginia

The casino measure will see voters in Petersburg decided on the building of the Live! Casino & Hotel Virginia on a site beside Interstate 95. The Cordish Companies would operate the property, beating Bally’s Corporation to the punch despite the alleged efforts by a senator to “bully” city staff to pick the latter.

create about 7,500 permanent jobs in the area

Proponents of the initiative believe it will create about 7,500 permanent jobs in the area and bring more money to local businesses and the city.

Maryland

The gambling initiative in Maryland relates to Chesapeake Beach, a small town of just 6,500 residents.

The question voters will decide on is if the town can offer more forms of gambling at existing venues, like table games, slot machines, and bingo machines.