Missouri’s casino loss limits may be a thing of the past, if early voting holds up.

Proposition A was leading 54 percent to 46 in early returns, with about 21 percent of precincts reporting statewide.

The measure would end Missouri’s one-of-a-kind $500 gambling loss limit, eliminate card requirements at casinos and generate an estimated $105 to $130 million in new tax revenue for schools. The casino industry tried and failed several times to convince the Legislature to end the loss limit in recent years. This year, it took the matter to the voters, and poured about $15 million into a campaign that highlighted the increased money for schools. Opponents spent about $250,000, much of it donated by the Casino Queen in East St. Louis.

Among early returns, opposition to the measure ran strongest in counties in the Bootheel and northeastern Missouri. It was running ahead in the polls in the St. Louis and Kansas City areas, where most of the state’s casinos are located.