JEFFERSON CITY 鈥 Big money continues to flow to the effort to legalize sports betting in Missouri.
DK Crown Holdings Inc., the Boston-based parent company of DraftKings, on Tuesday contributed $5 million to the Winning for Missouri Education campaign 鈥 easily the largest check to a Missouri state political campaign in at least 16 years.
The latest infusion brings the total raised for the pro-Amendment 2 effort to more than $16.5 million, all generated since January from DraftKings and FanDuel, and companies affiliated with the betting giants.
The latest flood of money also surpasses a $3.5 million check the DraftKings parent wrote to the campaign Aug. 15, which at the time was the largest check of the year.
Since then, a group called Missourians Against the Deceptive Online Gambling Amendment has formed, contending that promises of education funding by the pro-gambling side are misleading.
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That group has received more than $4 million in contributions from Caesars Entertainment casino companies, unhappy with the details of the proposal. include Horseshoe 50度灰视频, the former Lumi猫re Place casino, in downtown 50度灰视频.
DraftKings鈥 $5 million contribution to the pro-Amendment 2 campaign is the largest single donation recorded by the Missouri Ethics Commission since 2008, the earliest year for which records were available online.
The proposed amendment sets the state鈥檚 share of sports gambling revenue at 10%.
The language allows sports betting companies to deduct promotional subsidies from taxable revenue, leading to higher profits for the gambling companies and lower state returns.
In the fiscal analysis, the projected revenue is listed at zero to an estimated $28.9 million per year.
An Emerson College conducted last week found 52% of 850 likely voters surveyed supported the sports wagering amendment, while 25% were against it and 23% were unsure.
If approved, Missouri would join neighboring states such as Kansas and Illinois in legalizing sports betting.