Legislation Archives - National Football Post

Jan 18, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; A general view of fans after a 2025 AFC divisional round game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images

State of Kansas extends deadline for Chiefs, Royals stadium funding

Posted on 8 July 2025 | by Field Level Media

Kansas remains in the running to provide the future home of the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals.

A committee in the Kansas state legislature extended a deadline Monday for the NFL and Major League Baseball franchises to accept state financing for new stadiums.

The original deadline came and went on June 30, but it was retroactively extended on Monday. Now the Chiefs and Royals have till June 30, 2026, but the committee is pressing for a decision from the teams by New Year’s Eve.

The Chiefs and Royals have long made their homes at Arrowhead Stadium and Kauffman Stadium, respectively, in the same complex in Kansas City, Mo. They are among the oldest venues in their leagues and their leases with Jackson County are up in January 2031.

In June, Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe signed off on legislation that would authorize bonds to pay for up to 50 percent of the cost for the Chiefs and Royals to build or renovate a stadium.

Not to be outdone, Kansas has had an offer on the table of using bonds to cover 70 percent of the cost of a new stadium if either of the teams chooses to relocate.

“Together, we have the opportunity to bring the National Football League to Kansas, anchored by a world-class domed stadium, new team headquarters, a state-of-the-art practice facility, and a vibrant mixed-use and entertainment district,” Chiefs president Mark Donovan wrote to Kansas Senate president Ty Masterson when requesting a deadline extension.

The Chiefs previously unveiled renderings for a proposed multimillion-dollar renovation of Arrowhead Stadium. The Royals have said they want to move from Kauffman Stadium, preferably to a new ballpark downtown.

In April 2024, voters in Jackson County rejected a sales tax measure that would have helped pay for Arrowhead renovations and a stadium for the Royals.

–Field Level Media

Feb 14, 2024; Kansas City, MO, USA; A general overall aerial view of Kauffman Stadium (foreground) and Arrowhead Stadium at the Truman Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Missouri governor signs off on financial aid for Chiefs, Royals stadiums

Posted on 15 June 2025 | by Field Level Media

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe signed off on legislation that could provide millions of dollars for stadium upgrades for the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals.

Under the bill approved in a special session Wednesday by Missouri lawmakers, the state agreed to authorize bonds to pay for up to half of the cost to build or renovate a stadium, as well as offer tax credits. Local governments also would provide unspecifed assistance.

The two teams play at the Truman Sports Complex, with their stadiums side by side. Arrowhead Stadium opened in 1972 as the home of the Chiefs, with the Royals moving into what now is called Kauffman Stadium the following season.

Though still aesthetically pleasing, the two stadiums are among the oldest in their sports.

In the NFL, only the Chicago Bears (Soldier Field, built in 1924) and Green Bay Packers (Lambeau Field, 1957) play in older venues. In Major League Baseball, only the Boston Red Sox (Fenway Park, 1912), Chicago Cubs (Wrigley Field, 1914), Los Angeles Dodgers (Dodger Stadium, 1962) and Los Angeles Angels (Angel Stadium, 1966) have stadiums with a longer life span.

The signed bill in Missouri applies to any assistance for any NFL or MLB team that wants to undergo a stadium renovation or build of at least $500 million. That means the St. Louis Cardinals also could get financial aid should they want to improve Busch Stadium, which opened in 2006 amid a wave of new stadiums.

The Chiefs and Royals have a looming deadline, however.

In an effort to lure the teams to Kansas, that state last year authorized the issuance of bonds for as much as 70 percent of the cost of new stadiums. That offer is scheduled to expire June 30.

Kansas City, Mo., tucked in the northwest corner of the state, sits right on the border with Kansas. Kansas City, Kan., and Kansas City, Mo. are separated by just four miles, for example.

Neither team has discounted a move to Kansas.

The Chiefs previously unveiled renderings for a proposed multimillion dollar renovation of Arrowhead Stadium. The Royals have said they want to move from Kauffman Stadium, preferably to a new ballpark downtown.

In April 2024, voters in Jackson County, Mo., rejected a sales tax measure that would have helped to pay for Arrowhead renovations and a stadium for the Royals.

The teams’ leases for their existing stadiums expire in January 2031.

–Field Level Media

D.C. Council Quashes Pro-League Fee, But Sports Betting Bill Moves On

Posted on 28 November 2018 | by Jill Dorson

The professional sports leagues struck out again on Wednesday when the D.C. City Council opted to remove language from its sports betting bill that would have payed the leagues a royalty. Entering Wednesday’s “mark-up” hearing in the Finance and Revenue Committee, a revised version of Bill 22-944 included a one-quarter of 1 percent cut of gross sports wagering revenue as a payout to the professional leagues. But the council unanimously agreed to cut the amendment that added that fee.

The net result is that the committee agreed to move the bill along to a first reading, set for Dec. 4. The goal is to get the bill voted on at a Dec. 16 meeting.

During the one-hour hearing, several other bills were discussed, but the committee spent about half an hour discussing sports betting. Key changes to the original bill included creating a two-block no-competition zone around designated gaming facilities; removing the mandate that sportsbooks use official league data and replacing that with the royalty; language reaffirming that the D.C. Lottery would regulate sports betting; and allowing mobile bettors to use the D.C. Lottery sports betting app around the city, but requiring them to use only the app approved by a gaming facility in said facility.

Missouri Lawmakers Will Continue Push for Sports Betting

Posted on 28 November 2018 | by Jill Dorson

Add Missouri to the growing list of states set to consider sports betting legislation in 2019.

“I certainly anticipate it being out there (in 2019) for discussion before the House and the Senate,” Representative Dean Plocher, (R-Des Peres) told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch this week.

Plocher sponsored legislation last spring that did not advance in either legislative chamber. Multiple drafts of legislation were circulating even before the May U.S. Supreme Court decision that overturned the law banning states from offering Nevada-style, single-team sports betting.

Expect Sports Betting to Be on 2019 Legislative Agenda and Missouri May Consider a Payout to the Professional Leagues

South Dakota Special-Interest Group Wants Sports Betting Initiative

Posted on 26 November 2018 | by Jill Dorson

The fifth smallest state in the nation by population, South Dakota doesn’t want to be left out of the sports betting game. Known for Mount Rushmore and the scenic Black Hills, South Dakota has more than 30 commercial and tribal casinos, and if the Deadwood Gaming Association gets its way, sports betting will be on the menu by 2021. The association is working on a ballot measure and is going to ask state lawmakers to put it on the 2020 ballot.

South Dakota has had legal gaming since 1989 and 22 of the state’s casinos are located in Deadwood. Gaming is only legal in Deadwood and at tribal casinos, though the video lottery is legal across the state.

“We want to keep Deadwood a competitive gaming destination,” Mike Rodman, executive director of the Deadwood Gaming Association told Sports Handle. “A few years ago (2014), we put in craps and roulette for just that reason.”

Rodman said the goal would be to have legal sports betting in South Dakota beginning on July 1, 2021. His group has already submitted the ballot initiative to the state legislature’s research council and it is now being considered by the state attorney general’s office. Rodman said that so far, state lawmakers support the idea, as long as sports betting is limited to Deadwood and tribal locations.

Expect North Carolina Lawmakers to Talk Sports Betting in ’19

Posted on 23 November 2018 | by Jill Dorson

North Carolina lawmakers haven’t officially broached the subject of legal sports betting, but that doesn’t mean ideas and conversations about the topic aren’t circulating around the state.

“This is an issue that’s on people’s minds, but I don’t know where our caucus stands, particularly the new members. I expect that the proper role for the state will be discussed as we enter the new session next year,” North Carolina senator Phil Berger told the Charlotte Observer in an email.

Several North Carolina lawmakers introduced legislation in 2018 to legalize daily fantasy sports, but none got to a vote. In neighboring South Carolina, at least one sports betting bill was filed in the state legislature, but did not reach a vote. Lawmakers, there, though, are enthusiastic about the possibility of legalizing sports betting.

Virginia Sports Betting Bill Filed Ahead of 2019 Session

Posted on 21 November 2018 | by Jill Dorson

The post Virginia Sports Betting Bill Filed Ahead of 2019 Session appeared first on SportsHandle.

Virginia on Tuesday became the latest state to make an earnest move toward legalizing sports betting in 2019 when Delegate Mark Sickles (D-District 43) prefiled HB 1638 ahead of the opening of the legislative session on Jan. 9, 2019. The bill, which will be referred to committee for discussion, calls for a 15 percent tax rate on sports betting adjusted gross revenue, and a $250,000 licensing fee. There is no mention of a “royalty” or “integrity fee” to be paid to the professional sports leagues.

Lawmakers in Tennessee and Kentucky have also prefiled bills ahead of their sessions and several other states, including Michigan, Maryland and Massachusetts have publicly discussed sports betting recently.

Since the Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in May, seven states states outside of Nevada have either legalized or seen its authorized licensees begin accepting sports bets. Although Virginia is very much not a gaming state as casinos are prohibited by law, apparently sports betting may be on the table.

Michigan Could Become First State to Pay Leagues Sports Betting ‘Integrity Fee’

Posted on 16 November 2018 | by Brett Smiley

So far the National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball and PGA Tour are 0-for-7 in persuading state lawmakers to mandate payment of an off-the-top “integrity fee” or “royalty,” putting a percentage of legal sports bets into league coffers.

Now, a key lawmaker in Michigan sponsoring a bill that would legalize sports betting and iGaming in the state could give a win to the leagues.

According to a report from Reuters, following a U.S. Sports Betting Policy Summit in Washington D.C. this week, Michigan state representative Brandt Iden (R-District 61) changed his mind on the fees after “spending significant time with the leagues.”

Poll: Most Maryland Voters Want Sports Betting, Will Have to Wait

Posted on 12 November 2018 | by Brett Smiley

A Washington Post poll conducted in Sept. 2017 showed that 55% of respondents approved of legalizing sports betting with only 33% disapproving — the highest level of support ever record by the Roper Center public opinion archive.

Now a brand new Post poll surveying Maryland registered voters found numbers in line with the national figures — 53 percent are in favor of legal sports wagering on professional sports, against 37 percent opposed (10 percent had no opinion).

Unfortunately for those Marylanders approving and also desiring to make legal sports bets, they’ll probably be waiting more than two years to do so within Maryland borders.

The Maryland state constitution requires that any gambling expansion must go to the voters via ballot referendum. In March, the House of Delegates passed a bill 124-14 that would have put the matter on the Nov. 6 ballot, however the bill failed to make it out of committee in the Senate before the legislative session ended.

As proponents at the time advised, now the next opportunity to get it on the ballot won’t come until Nov. 2020, unless lawmakers have the motivation and find a way to bypass the state constitution. Unlikely.

TN Lawmaker Files Sports Betting Bill Ahead of 2019 Session

Posted on 12 November 2018 | by Jill Dorson

One day after the mid-term elections, Tennessee state Representative Rick Staples (D-District 15) filed the state’s first piece of sports betting legislation ahead of the 2019 session, which begins Jan. 8. The bill, HB 0001, while an initial effort, covers many of the key points needed for meaningful legislation.

The “Tennessee Sports Gaming Act,” filed on Nov. 7, calls for legal sports betting “only in jurisdictions that approve sports betting by local option election.” This language seems to infer that legal sports betting would be brought to Tennessee voters and could potentially be approved on a county-by-county basis. In a similar situation in Louisiana, voters in some parishes approved daily fantasy sports, while voters in other did not.

The Tennessee bill calls for a 10 percent tax on a licensee’s adjusted gross income. Nevada’s 6.75 tax on gross sports betting revenue is the lowest of all states with legal sports betting while new sports betting jurisdictions in Pennsylvania and Rhode Island impose rates of 34 percent or higher. The bill would set the licensing fee at $7,500.

News Articles

Tag: Legislation