Ready to Place Your Bets in Missouri? Here's the Scoop!
Sports betting bids commence in Missouri, with two licenses set aside for online-only sportsbooks.
Hold onto your horses, sports fans! Sports betting is coming to Missouri and you better be ready to place your bets. The Missouri Gaming Commission has officially launched the licensing period for online and retail sportsbooks, roughly half a year after the state's residents gave sports betting the thumbs up during the November 2024 election by the slightest margin.
Missourians passed Amendment 2, allowing sports betting on professional and college events within the Show-Me State for individuals aged 21 and up. With the ballot, they opened the gate for in-person and online sports betting.
Place Your Bets Now or Never!
If you're a sportsbook operator eager to snag one of Missouri's prized gigs, listen up! The MGC has set the deadline for applications for its two fully online sportsbook licenses at July 15, 2025. But don't worry, if you're more of a retail fan, you've got until September 12, 2025, to throw your hat in the ring. Approved applicants can start their retail operations from December 1.
How Much Will It Cost You?
Unfortunately, the MGC hasn't spilled the beans on the specific fees for retail and mobile sportsbooks just yet. But when it comes to prying information out of these guys, we're like a pitbull with a bone! We'll be updating this info as soon as we've dug it up, so stay tuned.
Taxing Times Ahead
Missouri's oddmakers can look forward to a more cushioned wallet, as they'll be taxed at 10% on their gross revenue. The revenue collected will flow directly into K-12 public education. The first $5 million in sports betting taxes each year will be earmarked for the Missouri Compulsive Gambling Prevention Fund.
Casino Heavyweights Enter the Arena
Big names like Caesars, Affinity Interactive, Bally's Corp., Boyd Gaming, Century Casinos, and Penn Entertainment are getting their game faces on and gearing up to throw their hats into the ring. Expect these casino heavyweights to bring some serious competition to the table!
Racing Toward the Finish Line
When sports betting starts in Missouri, the state will join the ranks of 38 other states where sports betting is legal. Surrounded by fellow sports betting states, Missouri is in prime position to attract a piece of the $13.8 billion that sports bettors lost to sportsbooks nationwide in 2024.
Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to follow the exciting journey of sports betting in Missouri!
Sources:
[1] League of Illinois Sportsbooks
[2] St. Louis Public Radio
[3] Kansas City Star
[4] Gambling.com
[5] Missouri Gaming Commission
- Caesars, Affinity Interactive, Bally's Corp., Boyd Gaming, Century Casinos, and Penn Entertainment are all preparing to enter the Missouri sports betting market.
- The Missouri Gaming Commission has set the deadline for applications for two fully online sportsbook licenses on July 15, 2025, and for retail sportsbook applications on September 12, 2025.
- Approved retail sportsbook applicants can begin operations from December 1, 2025.
- The MGC has not yet disclosed specific fees for retail and mobile sportsbooks, but they are actively seeking this information.
- Sports betting operators in Missouri will be taxed at 10% on their gross revenue, with the first $5 million in taxes each year going to the Missouri Compulsive Gambling Prevention Fund.
- Missouri sports betting revenue will be directed towards K-12 public education.
- With sports betting now legal in Missouri, the state will join a group of 38 other states where sports betting is currently permitted.
