Missouri saw its largest month-over-month decrease in sports wagering to date in February.
Key Takeaways
- Missouri’s sports betting handle went from $380.4 million in January to $277 million in February.
- The state hauled in over $1 million in monthly taxes for the first time.
- Basketball and parlays dominated the wagering landscape in February.
Show-Me State bettors placed 16.8% fewer bets during the month featuring the Super Bowl than in January, and the Missouri Gaming Commission reported a $277-million online and retail combined handle, down 27.2% month over month from $380.4 million. Online sportsbooks accounted for $273 million of the total amount wagered.
The handle was also half of what Missourians spent in December 2025, the first month of sports betting in the state. The lowest amount wagered yet resulted in $31.3 million in gross revenue for the eight mobile and eight in-person operators, down 42% from January. February’s 11.3% hold was the first under 14% as well.
Still, the state’s operators surpassed $1 billion in bets placed during the first three months of sports betting and over $180 million in Missouri revenue.
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Tax implications
Missouri experienced its biggest tax haul to date, generating $1.2 million in February. December and January produced less than $600,000 because operators’ total taxable revenue finished in the red both months.
The figure jumped to $10.3 million in February as DraftKings, FanDuel, and Fanatics, three major online sportsbooks, paid taxes for the first time as free-play promotional spending dropped significantly from January to February.
All operators spent a combined $11.4 million on free plays, down from December’s $125 million and January’s $33 million. FanDuel led all sportsbooks with $4.6 million in promotional wagers given, down from $14.6 million in January, while DraftKings spent $3.6 million in free plays, $6 million less than the previous month. Fanatics contributed over $815,000, cutting January’s spending by more than half, and bet365 was the only other operator to surpass $1 million in February free plays.
DraftKings on top
| Online Operator | February Handle | Gross Revenue |
|---|---|---|
| DraftKings | $104.9 million | $12.6 million |
| FanDuel | $92.5 million | $11.9 million |
| bet365 | $20.4 million | $2.2 million |
| BetMGM | $19.2 million | $1.3 million |
| Fanatics | $17.8 million | $1.5 million |
| Caesars | $11.9 million | $712K |
DraftKings generated a state-best $104.9 million in handle during February, with gross revenue of $12.6 million prior to deductions, also leading Missouri online sports betting operators. However, FanDuel’s 12.9% hold on a $92.5-million handle was nearly a point higher than DraftKings’ February win rate.
bet365 was the only other operator to generate a handle of $20 million, winning 10.8%. BetMGM produced a hold of just 6.8% on its $19.2-million handle, while Fanatics stayed below 8.5% on nearly $18 million in wagers.
Caesars almost produced a $12-million handle, but a 6% hold limited February profits. PENN Entertainment’s theScore Bet enjoyed a 10.8% hold on a handle of over $5 million, while Circa Sports made back less than $70,000 on a $1.4-million handle.
Football wagering drops off
The lone football game of February, Super Bowl LX between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots, generated $11.7 million in wagers. January produced $72 million in football handle, minus parlays, during the NFL playoffs and College Football Playoff.
Basketball was the most-bet sport in Missouri for the second consecutive month, producing a handle of nearly $110 million in February. Missourians spent more than $91 million on parlays.
