Voters in Virginia, Missouri, and other states will decide what will happen with these gambling plans. Tuesday
The US presidential election on Tuesday, November 5, could make big changes to how the country is run. In four states, voters will also decide whether to allow more gaming. And in Colorado, it will be decided how much of the gambling tax money will be used for water projects.
Bets on the Labour election
It would be great for the gambling business as a whole if Missouri voters decided to allow sports betting in stores and online across the whole state. If Amendment 2 passes, Missouri will be the only US state in 2024 to allow gaming in all areas of the state.
The Missouri Gaming Commission said over the weekend that it understands the law change to mean that every land-based casino will be able to get a licence for online betting. Based on this reading, businesses like Penn Entertainment and Caesars will each get up to three licenses. There are three physical sites in Missouri for each company.
The status of a casino licence is up in the air in Arkansas, Missouri, and Virginia. At the state level in Maryland, officials will measure the temperature in a town to decide if a casino can be built there. Also, people in Colorado will be asked if the state can spend more than $29 million (£22.3 million/€26.6 million) in gambling tax money on water projects.
Take a look at these ideas.
AR Plains
Issue 2 is a one-of-a-kind plan in Arkansas; it would take away a casino licence that is already in place. With $30 million spent on ads for and against the plan, it is the most expensive in state history.
If Issue 2 passes, the licence that was set aside for Pope County and was passed by voters in 2018 would be taken away. In June, the Arkansas Racing Commission gave the licence to Cherokee Nation Businesses. But the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma doesn't want a new casino in Russellville and has given money to the "yes" campaign.
The Choctaws run nine casinos in Oklahoma, one of which is in Pocola, which is right on the border with Arkansas. That place is about 90 miles away from where Cherokee wants to be. But Governor Sarah Huckabee is against the bill.
[Twitter link](https://twitter.com/LegendsResortAR) /status/1853176454076653896
The most important parts of the constitutional change are written below:
An addition that says certain new casino licenses need to be approved by voters in a special election for the whole county and takes away the power to give out casino licenses in Pope County, Arkansas.
If someone votes "yes," they agree with taking back the licence. A "no" vote means that the person does not want the licence to be taken away. Click here to see the whole text of the change.
Columbine
Voters in Colorado approved legal digital sports betting in 2019. The law says that up to $29 million in tax income from sports betting can go to water projects in the state. The Department of Revenue thinks that betting will bring in more than $29 million in tax money over the next few years. People will be able to vote on Proposition JJ, which if passed will let all betting tax money (over and above some set costs) go to water projects.
Here is the proposition's main text:
If the state doesn't want to raise taxes, could it keep and use all extra tax money from sports betting that isn't returned to casinos to pay for projects that protect and conserve water?
If someone votes "yes," they agree that the state can keep all money from gambling that is more than $29 million for water projects. If someone votes "no," they are against the plan, and any extra tax money would be given back to the operators.
Click here to see the whole text of the change.
Maryland
Chesapeake Beach is about an hour from Washington, DC. This is the second time that voters will be asked what they think about adding a casino to the town. In 2020, people in the area said they did not want gambling to grow. That's when both in-person and online sports betting began in the state. In 2020, voters passed a statewide bill that let people bet online.
Maryland lawmakers will use the results of the poll to help them make plans for adding more casinos to the state.
The question is written below:
Do you agree with Maryland letting venues in the Town of Chesapeake Beach have more gaming options, like more electronic bingo machines, casino slots, and table games?
Amendment 2 in Missouri
This constitutional change would let people all over the state bet on sports from their phones. It would also let casinos have real bookies and give licenses to five named professional sports teams. There would also be two mobile licenses that could be used on their own.
https://twitter.com/Royals/status/1848378871302787082
Many people who had an interest in the proposal thought that the text of it meant that each casino company would get a single licence. Five companies run more than one casino in the state.
To sum up Amendment 2, here is its main text:
What changes do you want to make to the Missouri Constitution?
Let the Missouri Gaming Commission oversee licensed sports betting, such as online sports betting, gambling boats, professional sports betting districts, and mobile licenses for sports betting operators; limit sports betting to people in the state who are at least 21 years old; let the general assembly pass laws that are in line with this amendment; and charge license fees and a 10% tax on winnings that will be used for education after the Commission's costs are paid and the Compulsive Gambling
State governments think the one-time costs will be $660,000, the annual costs will be at least $5.2 million, and the initial licence fee income will be $11.75 million. Because the plan lets tax breaks be taken away from the money made from sports betting, they think the tax revenue will be somewhere between $0 and $28.9 million a year. Local governments guess that they will get an unknown amount of money.
If someone votes "yes," they agree with the gambling increase, and if they vote "no," they don't.
This is the whole text of the change.
Amendment 5 in Missouri
With this change to the law, Lake of the Ozarks could get a new land-based casino licence. Bally's has put in a bid for the spot because it already owns a casino in Kansas City. If the amendment is passed, more people will be able to bid. There are 13 approved casinos in Missouri right now, and all of them have to be on water. At the moment, every casino is on the Mississippi or Missouri rivers.
The main parts of Amendment 5 are written below:
What changes do you want to make to the Missouri Constitution?
Allow the Missouri Gaming Commission to give out one more gambling boat licence to operate on the part of the Osage River from the Missouri River to the Bagnell Dam; make sure that the location includes man-made water features that are within 500 feet of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's 100-year base flood elevation; and make sure that all state money made from the gambling boat licence goes to programs that help young children learn to read and write in public elementary schools.
State governments think the one-time costs will be $763,000 and the ongoing costs will be $2.2 million per year. They also think that the initial fee revenue will be $271,000, the ongoing revenue from entry and other fees will be $2.1 million per year, and the annual revenue from gaming taxes will be $14.3 million. Local governments guess that they will get an unknown amount of money.
Voting "yes" would mean that someone wants to add a new casino. A "no" vote means that the person is against it.
This is the whole text of the change.
Mary Ann
After voters passed statewide sports betting and five real casinos four years ago, people in Petersburg will be able to choose if they want a casino. The original law called for a casino to be built in Richmond, but voters turned it down twice. On Tuesday, November 5, people in Petersburg will decide if The Cordish Companies' Live! Casino should be given a licence. In February, lawmakers in the state decided to take the planned casino in Richmond off the list of cities that could get one.
The Hard Rock Casino in Bristol, the Caesars Casino in Danville, and the Rivers Casino in Portsmouth have all opened. Boyd Gaming and the Pamunkey tribe broke ground on a $750 million casino in Norfolk at the end of last week. It's going to open in late 2027.
Norfolk VA tweeted this: "Status: 1851687229090844744"
People in Petersburg are the only ones who can vote on this problem.
The proposal's text is shown below:
Should there be casino gaming at a place in Petersburg, Virginia, that is on a 92.5-acre building site off of I-95 at Wagner Road and along Brassfield Parkway in the City of Petersburg? This could happen if the Virginia Lottery Board agrees.
If someone votes "yes," they want a casino to be built in Petersburg. That person who votes "no" does not agree.
