KANSAS CITY - Sports gambling will not be coming to Missouri as early as the Missouri Gaming Commission had hoped.
Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins rejected an emergency appeal to allow sportsbooks to open in casinos in June. The appeal didn't meet the bar set by state law to be considered an emergency.
Hoskins was vocal in his opposition to legalizing sports gambling during his time as a state senator. KMOX has reached out to his office for further comment.
The Missouri Gaming Commission says they will focus on their separately filed rules to launch sports gambling on Aug. 30.
However, KMOX Legal Analyst Young says those rules could also be rejected.
"The discretions resides with Hoskins regarding whether any emergency or proposed emergency rules, which would allow for earlier physical locations for sports betting to go into place prior to Dec. 1st," said Young.
Young says this only applies to physical casinos, and certain apps are already operating in Missouri.
Young says the ballot language puts a time limit on Hoskin's power to reject rules.
"Up to Dec. 1st, it is all within the discretion of Missouri Secretary of State's Office," said Young.
Young says after Dec. 1 the only way he sees sports gambling not legalized is if the rules are subject to litigation.
"The only way I'm aware of that you could go past the Dec. 1 deadline if there were some proposes for rules and those rules would be involved in further litigation that would require clarification from the courts."