Missouri sports wagerers can place legal wagers with sportsbooks in-state beginning Dec. 1. Several additional turning points pre-date the launch.
Missouri Sports Betting Launches Dec. 1: Regulators are reviewing license applications for a prepared launch of online and retail sportsbooks on Dec. 1.
License Types and Key Dates Set: Two untethered licenses will be granted Aug. 15; others should partner with gambling establishments or groups and apply by Sept. 12.
Top Brands Expected to Enter Market: FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, bet365, and others prepare to introduce in Missouri, which uses a low tax rate and cost 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 potential licensees opened May 15. Any book, in-person or online, awarded a license can accept bets starting Dec. 1.
Sportsbooks are qualified for one of 3 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 do not need sportsbooks to partner with a land-based casino or professional sports team, creating a potentially streamlined procedure for market gain access to.
FanDuel and DraftKings, the two nationwide sports betting leaders by market share, are anticipated to obtain the 2 untethered licenses. The Missouri Gaming Commission (MGC), which will figure out the two license holders, has said openly 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 among the 2 untethered openings have until Sept. 12 to make an application for a license in collaboration with one of the state's brick-and-mortar gambling establishments or professional sports groups. The licensees will be revealed some time ahead of the Dec. 1 launch.
Prospective Missouri sportsbooks
A number of the prominent national brands have actually already announced objectives to go reside in Missouri.
FanDuel and DraftKings announced they would do so on their particular corporate incomes calls earlier this year. The business spent a combined $30 million on a 2024 ballot step to back changing the state constitution to support legal Missouri sports wagering.
BetMGM, the No. 3 online video gaming operator by market share, also announced its Missouri launch strategies during a recent revenues call. Bet365 is also a safe bet following a market gain access to offer with MLB's St. Louis Cardinals.
ESPN BET supervisor PENN Entertainment and Bally Bet parent Bally's have direct market gain access to through their operations of Missouri casinos. Caesars, which initially opposed the ballot procedure over issues of restricted market gain access to offers for its brick-and-mortar residential or commercial properties, likewise 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 runs in neighboring Illinois, might likewise be interested in the state.
Missouri's 10% tax rate on gross gaming earnings and $500,000 license cost are listed below the national average among the 39 states that have actually authorized legal sportsbooks.
Missouri sports wagering launch hold-up explained
After sports wagering legalization efforts failed in the legislature for numerous years, DraftKings, FanDuel and the state's pro sports teams led a project to get a sports wagering ballot procedure before citizens in November 2024. The measure directly passed after surviving legal obstacles and the Caesars-led opposition campaign.
The MGC had actually intended to approve all required follow-up guidelines in time for a June 30 launch. Instead, the Secretary of State's office declined a plan to expedite the licensing process, which pushed the timeline back almost 5 months.
