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Nearly one in four people in Missouri are planning to place bets once sports betting becomes legal in the state Dec. 1, according to a recent survey.
The survey of 1,000 state residents, as covered by Yahoo! Finance, revealed that one out of five respondents are already placing bets outside of the state. Missouri is unique given that its two most populous cities, Kansas City and St. Louis, border states where sports betting is already legal.
The survey looked at the frequency with which people planned to bet once Missouri sports betting becomes legal, and found:
- 14% anticipate betting on sports at least weekly;
- 6% anticipate betting monthly; and
- 9% anticipate betting multiple times per year
Team sports betting
The survey also revealed that local franchise loyalties will figure into their plans, with 26% planning to bet on the Kansas City Chiefs, who entered into a partnership with sports betting license applicant BetMGM in 2022, and whose president, Mark Donovan, showed support for the referendum when it was being considered.
Also, 12% of respondents plan to bet on the St. Louis Cardinals, the MLB team that partnered with bet365 in May. Bet 365 joined the Sports Betting Alliance weeks later, ahead of applying for a license to operate in the state.
The survey also revealed that the St. Louis Blues, which has its games carried on FanDuel’s regional sports network, will garner wagers from 7% of respondents. St. Louis City SC, the MLS team that entered into a partnership with FanDuel, is projected per the survey to get bets from 4% of Show Me State residents.
While coverage of the survey didn’t specify in-state college teams, it revealed that 18% of respondents planned to bet on college sports. The Dec. 1 launch date means that college football’s conference championships, bowl games, and expanded playoffs will be among the first events Missouri sports bettors can wager on.
Concerns about problem gambling
A St. Louis Public Radio story published last week, looking at a 2022 study from a Kansas City government problem gambling committee, found nearly one in five met criteria for problem gambling, and that more than 60% of Missouri adults gamble.
Keith Spare, chair of the Missouri Alliance to Curb Problem Gambling, expressed concern about the ready availability of sports betting, especially mobile sports betting, once Dec. 1 arrives.
“With sports betting, you’ll be able to place a bet from your bedroom, your living room chair, your car in the parking lot, on break at work, literally anytime of the day or night.”
Voters narrowly passed the initiative allowing sports betting last November. It includes provisions to combat problem gambling.
Per the law, the greater of $5 million or 10% of total tax revenue generated from sports wagering goes to the Compulsive Gaming Prevention Fund. That fund, overseen by the state treasurer, provides problem gambling support services, and will also be used to develop new programs and provide grants to problem gambling organizations.
