Missouri sports betting wait will extend beyond Super Bowl

Sports Betting

Missouri was the only additional U.S. state to legalize sports betting in 2024, bringing the grand total to 39 out of a possible 50.

It was a close call, though, as Amendment 2 – the voter amendment to legalize in-person and online sports betting in the state – won by fewer than 4,000 votes (out of 2.95 million cast) in November’s election, and was certified a few weeks later.

Sports betting surpassed the minimum number of signatures to get on the ballot (roughly 180,000) and was spearheaded by a coalition of sports teams and operators – including DraftKings and FanDuel – named Winning For Missouri Education. Sportsbook operators DraftKings and FanDuel contributed more than $40 million to the campaign.

Sports teams reportedly had been frustrated with neighboring states (Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, etc.) legalizing sports betting the past few years and Sen. Denny Hoskins stalling momentum that had been gaining in the legislature over that time.

“The people have spoken,” Secretary of State John “Jay” Ashcroft said in a December release. “With November’s results now official, we are pleased to have completed another election cycle. The success of this election is respective of the patronage of Missouri’s voters, election authorities and poll workers.”

The amendment allows the state’s casinos to operate in-person and online sportsbooks, and also calls for Missouri’s six professional sports teams – the Kansas City Chiefs, Kansas City Royals, Kansas City Current, St. Louis Blues, St. Louis Cardinals and St. Louis City SC – to have the option to operate sportsbooks as well. The tax rate for Missouri will be 10% on sports betting revenue. 

Amendment 2 mandates that sports betting be operational in the state by December 2025, and while it should certainly be done before that, it seems likely it will be closer to baseball season than March Madness.

Jan Zimmerman, the chair of the Missouri Gaming Commission recently told KCUR 89.3, an NPR affiliate in Kansas City, that she expected wagers to be placed by summer. The MGC first needs to create regulations for sports betting, which must be approved by the Governor and Secretary of State. After a 30-day period for public input, Missouri can then begin issuing gambling licenses, but those licenses require background checks and can take some time to process.

With no other states expected to legalize sports betting in 2025, the Missouri launch will be a big one for the industry and operators.

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