Missouri missed a windfall in sports betting tax revenue as the Kansas City Chiefs won back-to-back Super Bowl titles last night.
Data from gaming geolocation technology company GeoComply revealed “record-breaking results” for sports betting, with a 22.3% rise in transactions over last year. So, while bettors set records for wagers on the big game, the home state of the team that won the championship didn’t allow its residents to make legal bets.
According to GeoComply, there were more than 431,000 geolocation checks from devices in Missouri attempting to access legal online sportsbooks in other states over Super Bowl weekend. That’s a 51% increase from last year. Those checks came from more than 40,500 accounts — which is over 30% more than last year.
More bettors, more transactions, more money
The number of bettors on Super Bowl weekend increased by 15% since last year for a record 8.5 million active online sports wagering accounts. Nationally, over 1.77 million new users signed up for legal mobile wagering in the two weeks leading up to the event. Sportsbook apps use GeoComply technology to verify legitimate transactions and block traffic from places where mobile wagering is prohibited.
Locally, there was a flurry of betting activity in Kansas City on the Kansas side during Super Bowl weekend, while just across the street in Missouri, geolocation technology blocked fans from making legal wagers. In other words, those in the state want a Missouri sports betting market.
Per GeoComply, 48% of the Missouri geolocation checks were attempting to access Kansas sportsbooks, and 37% were attempting to access Illinois sportsbooks.
GeoComply provided video evidence of the activity on the Kansas border:
Statistics from the American Gaming Association support GeoComply’s data. The organization predicted that about 1 in 4 Americans planned to place a wager on the game. The AGA also expected bettors to bet approximately $23.1 billion on Super Bowl LVIII, up from $16 billion in 2023.
Most Missourians want sports betting
A visualization of GeoComply’s tracking data showing the number of blocked transactions on the Missouri side vs. the number of legal bets in Kansas during Super Bowl weekend reveals demand for legal options for residents of the Show Me state. Based on a recent poll, 62% of Missourians support legalizing online sports betting. However, the hopes of allowing it in the state hinge on legislative approval or the passage of a sports betting ballot initiative.
In the meantime, residents will either cross the state line to make a legal bet or resort to illegal offshore options. Either way, it leaves Missouri with a massive untapped font of revenue.
