Bill DeWitt III, President of the MLB’s Cardinals, said legal sports betting in Missouri could give the team a “competitive edge.” The remarks were part of the team’s push for lawmakers to legalize the practice, as the club believes sports gambling could give it an extra revenue stream to attract top-tier free agents or re-sign players. It also comes as the club considers whether to organize a petition drive to take the question directly to voters in the ballot in November of next year.
“My job is to drive revenue and manage the business,” DeWitt said, as reported by KSDK. “This is a new revenue category. So from that standpoint, it’s important. And we’ve always tried to be very aggressive with our payroll, but obviously keeping in mind what’s possible given our revenues.”
According to analysis from Spotrac’s MLB Team Payroll Tracker, the Cardinals rank 16th in payroll spending, which is below the league average. A 2018 study commissioned by the casino industry projected the four major sports leagues could boost combined team revenue by $4.2 billion if sportsbooks drove higher fan engagement at stadiums and brought new licensing or sponsorship opportunities to franchises.
“It’s a new business and it’s a new industry, so it remains to be seen to what extent,” DeWitt said, as per the cited source. “But I think it would definitely increase our revenue streams, no question.”
Bill DeWitt III, President of the MLB's Cardinals
The team has already employed the argument that more money could help improve its odds of securing a more competitive roster in its efforts to lobby legislators, but a bill to legalize sports betting has yet to pass. “We’ve tried that one,” DeWitt said. “We’ve tried everything in Jeff City.”
The Missouri House recently approved the plan to legalize sports betting, but the proposal is currently stuck in the Senate. According to DeWitt, the proposal has broad bipartisan support, but Senator Denny Hoskins (R-Warrensburg) has jammed up the bill and won’t allow it to the floor for a vote.
“Based on our discussions in the Senate, we have one senator standing in the way who can filibuster it, and that’s Denny Hoskins,” DeWitt said, as per KSDK. “That’s why this is so frustrating. And it would be one thing if Senator Hoskins was just philosophically opposed to betting. I get that. We’d take our toys and move out.”
Denny Hoskins
Hoskins’ opposition comes from wanting to attach video lottery terminal expansion to the sports betting bill, which not all lawmakers seem to be on board with. “That’s what’s so frustrating from my point of view,” said the Cardinals’ President.
Should the sports betting push fail at the Senate, DeWitt indicated the club could organize a petition drive to take the question directly to voters in the ballot in November of 2024. “We would have enough time for that if we chose to do it,” DeWitt said. “All the options are on the table here. We think it’s a winning issue in Missouri.”
This isn’t the first time DeWitt has shared his frustrations over the lack of legal sports betting options in Missouri. “I would describe it as an extremely high level of frustration with not being able to bring this to a vote,” he told The Missouri Times last month. “We have an issue that is extremely popular with our fans, popular with the politicians, and it’s blocked because others wanna hitch a ride on our wagon, and they have enough clout to bully their way onto the bill.”
