After a highly-contested election, a constitutional amendment passing by a razor-thin margin, and years of legislative turmoil in the Show-Me State, Missouri sports betting has finally received approval from state voters to launch in 2025.

Missouri sports betting is now statutorily required to launch in the state by Dec. 1, 2025, but will likely launch sooner than the approved deadline, according to state gaming regulators.

The Missouri Board of State Canvassers, which includes Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, Judge Jon Beetem and Judge Daniel Green, last week certified the results of the Nov. 5 general election. No recount request has been made within the necessary seven-day window, so all results are now official.

Voters approved the sports betting amendment by 1,478,652 yes votes (50.05%) to 1,475,691 no votes (49.95%), passing the amendment by just 2,961 total votes. Missouri will become the 39th state in the country to legalize sports betting and the 31st to approval online sports betting as well.

Despite the close results, Missouri has no automatic recount laws. The amendment’s 0.1% margin of victory did qualify it for a recount, but no individual made a recount request within seven days of the certification.

Missouri must launch sports betting by Dec. 1, 2025, but according to Jan M. Zimmerman, chair of the Missouri Gaming Commission, it will likely happen much sooner than the deadline. Zimmerman said the gaming commission is looking at the summer of 2025 as a potential launch time for sports betting, to have the markets up and running before the start of the lucrative football season.