Chiefs’ Future Sportsbook Role Targeted

The Kansas City Chiefs will be leaving Missouri in five years and one senator wants to block them from profiting off the Missouri sports betting market.

Sen. Nick Schroer (R-2) pre-filed SJR 109 on Wednesday, Jan. 31, to block the Kansas City Chiefs from operating a Missouri sportsbook. The Chiefs recently announced the franchise will be relocating across the border to Kansas for the 2031 season.

Schroer’s bill proposes a constitutional amendment to remove members of the National Football League from the list of eligible sports franchises to conduct sports betting in the state.

Chiefs Remaining in Missouri Until 2031

Schroer’s bill seeks to amend the state’s constitution to disallow members of the National Football League to offer Missouri sports betting. If the bill is approved by state legislators, Missouri voters will then have to approve the amendment in the state’s 2026 November general election.

The bill’s summary reads as follows:

“Current constitutional provisions define “professional sports team” as a team located in this state that is a member of the National Football League, Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League, the National Basketball Association, Major League Soccer, the Women’s National Basketball Association, or the National Women’s Soccer League for the purposes of conducting sports wagering in this state. This constitutional amendment, if approved by the voters, removes members of the National Football League from such definition.”

The state allows each of its casinos and professional sports franchises to partner with a gaming company to offer sports betting. The Kansas City Chiefs had not yet partnered with an operator, and if the bill is approved by state voters they will not be eligible to do so in the future.

The St. Louis Blues have partnered with DraftKings, the St. Louis Cardinals with bet365, and MLS St. Louis City with FanDuel. Underdog had agreed to a market access partnership with the Kansas City Royals before the company pulled out of the state.

Chiefs Leaving for New Stadium in Kansas

The Chiefs announced the move on Dec. 22, according to ESPN, which will see the franchise play in a new $3 billion domed stadium in Kansas for the 2031 season. Kansas lawmakers unanimously voted to cover up to 70% of the cost of the stadium through sales tax and revenue bonds.

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe (R) and state lawmakers had proposed their own stadium funding plans to the franchise. Kehoe backed a special legislative session in June to authorize bonds to cover up to 50% of the cost of new or renovated Missouri stadiums, plus up to $50 million in tax credits for each stadium.

This would be the second sports franchise in the last decade to leave Missouri. The St. Louis Rams left the state in 2016 after an agreement on a new stadium could not be reached, leaving for Los Angeles.

Missouri One Month Into Legal Sports Betting

Missouri launched sports betting on Monday, Dec. 1, with eight licensed online sports betting operators opening their markets for thousands of customers.

Just prior to launch, Underdog pulled its license from the state, noting it would focus on prediction market services as it moved forward.

Additionally, ESPN BET successfully rebranded itself in the state (and nationally) to theScore Bet on Dec. 1. Customers can now register accounts for theScore Bet in the state. Previously registered ESPN BET accounts in the state automatically rebranded to theScore Bet, according to a PENN spokesperson, with all funds and promos automatically transferring to the new platform.