Missouri sports bettors can place legal wagers with sportsbooks in-state beginning Dec. 1. Several additional milestones pre-date the launch.
Key Takeaways
- Missouri Sports Betting Launches Dec. 1: Regulators are reviewing license applications for a planned launch of online and retail sportsbooks on Dec. 1.
- License Types and Key Dates Set: Two untethered licenses will be awarded Aug. 15; others must partner with casinos or teams and apply by Sept. 12.
- Top Brands Expected to Enter Market: FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, bet365, and others plan to launch in Missouri, which offers a low tax rate and fee structure.
Missouri regulators are working to approve what is expected to be roughly a dozen sportsbooks interested in launching in the Show Me State. Applications for all prospective licensees opened May 15. Any book, in-person or online, awarded a license can accept bets beginning Dec. 1.
Sportsbooks are eligible for one of three license types, which will be announced at varying dates ahead of the go-live date.
Sportsbooks pursuing one of two “untethered” licenses are due July 15. These licenses don’t require sportsbooks to partner with a land-based casino or professional sports team, creating a potentially streamlined process for market access.
FanDuel and DraftKings, the two national sports betting leaders by market share, are expected to apply for the two untethered licenses. The Missouri Gaming Commission (MGC), which will determine the two license holders, has said publicly that the award decision is open to any eligible licensee.
Applicants can appear before the MGC Aug. 13. A decision announcement is set for Aug. 15.
Online sportsbooks that didn’t win one of the two untethered openings have until Sept. 12 to apply for a license in partnership with one of the state’s brick-and-mortar casinos or professional sports teams. The licensees will be revealed some time ahead of the Dec. 1 launch.
Prospective Missouri sportsbooks
Many of the leading national brands have already announced intentions to go live in Missouri.
FanDuel and DraftKings announced they would do so on their respective corporate earnings calls earlier this year. The companies spent a combined $30 million on a 2024 ballot measure to back amending the state constitution to support legal sports betting in Missouri.
BetMGM, the No. 3 online gaming operator by market share, also announced its Missouri launch plans during a recent earnings call. Bet365 is also a safe bet following a market access deal with MLB’s St. Louis Cardinals.
ESPN BET manager PENN Entertainment and Bally Bet parent Bally’s have direct market access via their operations of Missouri casinos. Caesars, which originally opposed the ballot measure over concerns of limited market access deals for its brick-and-mortar properties, also has a direct path to launching its mobile sportsbook.
Other likely entrants are BetRivers, Fanatics, and Underdog. Additional national brands such as Hard Rock, which operates in neighboring Illinois, could also be interested in the state.
Missouri’s 10% tax rate on gross gaming revenue and $500,000 license fee are below the national average among the 39 states that have approved legal sportsbooks.
Missouri sports betting launch delay explained
After sports betting legalization efforts failed in the legislature for several years, DraftKings, FanDuel and the state’s pro sports teams led a campaign to get a sports betting ballot measure before voters in November 2024. The measure narrowly passed after surviving legal challenges and the Caesars-led opposition campaign.
The MGC had hoped to approve all necessary follow-up regulations in time for a June 30 launch. Instead, the Secretary of State’s office rejected a plan to expedite the licensing process, which pushed the timeline back nearly five months.
Missouri will go roughly 13 months from sportsbook approval vote to first bet, one of the longest turnarounds in the U.S.
