Missouri Braces for the Start of Legalized Sports Betting

In approximately two weeks, the fine people of Missouri will get the green light to start legally wagering on sports. Throughout the state, retail sportsbooks will be opening in kiosks typically located around the state's major professional sports venues. For good measure, online sports betting operations will also be getting the green light.

If a Missourian wants to use online sportsbooks, they will need to select an online operator and complete that operator's registration process. To do that, they will need to be physically located within the state's boundaries and offer proof of age documentation. All sports bettors will need to be at least 21 years of age.

Ready to Go

According to the Missouri Gaming Commission (MGC), the betting windows will open at 12:01 AM on December 1, 2025. Online operations should be open 24/7/365, while retail operators will be posting business hours outside of their retail betting facilities.

With about two weeks until go day, two operators have officially been licensed. That would be Circa and DraftKings, with both licenses not tethered to a casino or professional sports franchise. Another eight operators are expected to get tethered temporary licensing that goes into effect on December 1. That list includes:

• Caesars - partnered with Harrah’s Kansas City and Horseshoe St. Louis


• FanDuel - partnership with St. Louis City FC


• ESPN Bet - partnered with Hollywood Casino and River City Casino


• Fanatics - partnered with Boyd Gaming


• Underdog - TBD


• bet365 - partnered with Major League Baseball’s St. Louis Cardinals


• BetMGM - partnership with Century Casinos


• Kambi - TBD
  

Under the provisions of the MGC's regularity framework, approved online sports betting operators can begin registering new customers. As part of that process, each online operator is expected to put forth a nice Welcome Bonus promotion. This is intended as a means for operators to compete for new business. New Missorian sports bettors are encouraged to shop and compare.

Additional Details

With a December 1 start date, sports bettors will miss all but one game of the NCAA FB regular season. They will get wagering access to the annual Army/Navy game on December 13, as well as opportunities to wager on conference championship games. Additional available December wagering markets will include the last month of the NFL regular season, NCAA FB bowl games, NHL regular season, NBA regular season, and NCAA BB (Men's & Women's) regular season.

It was a 4-year-long battle to get sports betting legislation passed in Missouri. The appropriate bill barely passed the House & Senate and went into law on November 5, 2024. The passing of the bill can be attributed to the efforts of Missouri's top professional franchises, plus a consortium of U.S.-based sports betting operators that invested close to $40 million in the legislative battle process.

According to industry predictions, Missouri sports bettors are expected to wager as much as $4.5 billion a year when things get rolling. That would result in close to $500 million in gross revenue, which would create $50 million in tax revenue at a 10% tax rate.