Missouri Sports Betting

Sports betting has yet to arrive in Missouri, although supporters keep getting closer to legalizing it. For the second straight year, a Missouri sports betting initiative is making its way through the process.

During 2022, multiple sports betting bills were considered, and the state came closer to legalization than ever before with one bill passing the House but failing in the Senate. In early-2023, another bill passed the House and moved on to the Senate. The fact that neighbor Kansas legalized sports betting and launched in Sept. 2022 may further encourage Missouri lawmakers to move forward with it this time around.

As we wait to see what happens next with Missouri sports betting, this page will keep you up to date with all the latest developments. Read on for information about how the debate has gone so far, what may come next, and everything else you need to know about legal sports betting in the Show-Me State.

Is sports betting legal in Missouri?

No, sports betting is not currently legal in Missouri. Last year’s legislative session ended without enough common ground to pass a sports betting bill. However, for 2023 there is optimism and momentum.

Will Missouri allow online sports betting?

When and if sports betting becomes legal in Missouri, online sportsbooks will almost certainly be a part of the deal. While nothing can happen until a bill is passed, if and when Missouri finally legalizes sports betting, online sportsbooks will be an option for Missouri bettors.

When will Missouri sports betting launch?

The soonest sports betting could launch in Missouri will be 2023, although a bill would likely need to pass early in the year for that to happen.

2022 sports betting bills in Missouri

Last year began with three different sports betting bills all receiving serious consideration from House lawmakers to start the 2022 session. Two were proposed by Rep. Phil Christofanelli, and another was brought forward by Rep. Dan Houx. Rep. Christofanelli’s bills — HB 1666 and HB 2556 — soon receded into the background while the bill sponsored by Rep. Houx, HB 2502, emerged as the strongest contender. Each of the bills contained many of the same provisions, however, and in truth HB 2502 overlapped with much of what appeared in the other bills (esp. HB 2556).

There were two Senate bills under consideration as well — Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer’s SB 1061 and Sen. Dan Hegeman’s SB 1046 — both of which were also similar in many respects to HB 2502.

In Feb. 2022, various stakeholders including sportsbook operators, casino companies and pro sports teams all spoke in favor of legalization at a House hearing. Then on March 24, 2022, the Missouri House voted in favor of HB 2502. The bill passed by a wide margin with a vote of 115-33 in favor.

Some of the most important particulars of HB 2502 included the following:

• The Missouri Gaming Commission would regulate sports betting in the state.
• Both retail and online sports betting would be authorized, although retail sportsbooks would only be allowed at Missouri’s 13 riverboat casinos.
• Casinos were also to get three online sportsbook skins each, with a maximum of six per casino company.
• Six professional sports teams would also be able to offer one online sportsbook each. Sports stadiums and arenas in the state would be allowed betting lounges, but no kiosks or betting windows.
• Live betting would be required to use official league data.
• The application fee for an interactive sports wagering platform license was to have been $150,000, with a $125,000 annual renewal fee.
• The state would tax sports betting revenues at 8%.
• Another $500,000 in tax revenue would go to problem gambling programs each year.

Session ends with legislation failing in Senate

Having received approval from the full Missouri House, HB 2502 proceeded to the Senate.

There Sen. Denny Hoskins proposed upping the tax rate for sports betting to 21%. That was much higher than the 8% rate in HB 2502, but aligned with what Missouri casinos currently pay.

Sen. Hoskins also tried to include regulation of video lottery terminals (VLTs) to the legislation when it reached the Senate floor. Sen. Hoskins then filibustered when others tried to defeat his VLTs amendment, effectively halting the bill’s momentum.

During the final days of the session, a legislative source confirmed to PlayMissouri that there was no legitimate vehicle to advance sports betting in the Senate, and indeed the session ended with no bill advancing.

Missouri sportsbook apps

While Missourians will have to wait until 2023 for sports betting to return to the legislative table, the discussion thus far has given us a good idea what legal sports betting will look like once it does finally arrive. That’s because legislation that passed the House offered a lot of specifics, including with regard to online sports betting.

Before we talk about what online sportsbooks might be coming to Missouri, it’s important to understand the assumption underlying this section. We are assuming that sports betting in the state will be competitive, rather than a narrow, in-house market like the ones in Rhode Island and New Hampshire. Truth be told, all indications are that when sports betting does come to Missouri, there will be plenty of online options for sports bettors in the state.

HB 2502 not only authorized online sports betting, but also specifically identified which companies will be authorized to launch sports betting apps as well as how many skins each would be allotted.

The legislation had authorized up to 39 online skins in Missouri. The breakdown was as follows: 

• Affinity Gaming: Six skins
• Boyd Gaming: Six skins
• Caesars Entertainment: Six skins
• Century Casinos: Six skins
• Penn National Gaming: Six skins
• Bally’s Corp.: Three skins
• Professional sports teams: One skin each

Knowing that, even though we are still in speculative mode, we can nonetheless talk in concrete terms about which sportsbook apps would likely come to Missouri once sports betting becomes legal.

FanDuel Sportsbook

• Chance of launching in Missouri: Almost certain

FanDuel Sportsbook has become one of the stalwarts of the American sports betting industry in the past few years, and there is no reason to assume that it wouldn’t find Missouri an inviting state to add to its list of live states. The FanDuel app is notable for its ease of navigation. FanDuel is already a legal and active daily fantasy sports provider in state and is therefore a recognizable brand to residents. Furthermore, FanDuel has a longstanding partnership with Boyd Gaming, which owns and operates the Ameristar properties in St. Louis and Kansas City.

Bally Bet

• Chance of launching in Missouri: Almost certain

Bally Bet is a relatively new online sportsbook. Its corporate parentage is obvious, however, and Bally’s is a reasonably well known casino brand to most casual gamblers. The sportsbook may have a head start in Missouri thanks to Bally’s 2021 purchase of the Casino KC, which it has rebranded as Bally’s Kansas City. There’s no way to know if Bally Bet will be one of the first apps to launch in Missouri, but it seems likely to arrive eventually.

Caesars Sportsbook

• Chance of launching in Missouri: Almost certain

Caesars Sportsbook is the sports betting brand for one of the world’s largest casino companies, Caesars Entertainment. The Caesars app is not particularly flashy, but it has all the right things in all the right places, and you’d be hard-pressed not to find a sport you want to bet on. Caesars is also the owner of many casino locations, including three Missouri properties. Since Harrah’s Kansas City, Isle of Capri Boonville and Lumiere Place would each likely have their own licenses to offer sports betting, it’s almost without question that Caesars will be part of any potential sports betting market in Missouri.

Barstool Sportsbook

• Chance of launching in Missouri: Almost certain

Barstool is the sports betting brand representing Penn National Gaming, one of the largest gambling companies in the world not named Caesars, BetMGM or Las Vegas Sands. Penn National has properties across the US under a variety of names, including the Hollywood Casino chain. That makes it active in Missouri as the owner/operator of Hollywood Casino St. Louis as well as Argosy Riverside and River City Casino Hotel.

Affinity Gaming (Kambi)

• Chance of launching in Missouri: Almost certain

Affinity Gaming is one of the smaller casino companies to maintain a major presence in Missouri. It owns two venues in the state, the Mark Twain Casino and the St. Jo Frontier Casino. It’s impossible to count out Affinity as a likely member of the Missouri sports betting industry, especially after its January 2022 partnership agreement with sports betting technology provider Kambi. Although Affinity would be a newcomer to sports betting, Missouri might be the place for its debut.

Century Casinos (Bet365 / Circa Sports / Tipico)

• Chance of launching in Missouri: Almost certain

Century Casinos is another smaller casino company with multiple locations in Missouri, with properties in Cape Girardeau and Caruthersville, so it is in a prime position to tap into any gambling expansion in the state. Century also has existing partnerships with three sports betting companies — Bet365, Circa Sports and Tipico — so it’s not a stretch to imagine one or more of those brands operating on the Century licenses.

BetMGM Sportsbook

• Chance of launching in Missouri: Very likely

BetMGM is one of the biggest online sportsbooks in the US. Its immense resources have allowed it to launch in most states where it’s legal to do so, and it has an excellent app to boot. In particular, the “edit my bet” feature allows bettors a level of control over their open wagers that they don’t usually have. BetMGM has partnerships with both the NFL and Major League Baseball, and given how prominent teams in both leagues will likely be in Missouri sports betting discussions, there seems little doubt that BetMGM will find a way to enter Missouri

DraftKings

• Chance of launching in Missouri: Very likely

DraftKings Sportsbook is the sports betting arm for the daily fantasy sports provider of the same name. As such, DraftKings has already been active in Missouri for years and is certainly a familiar name in the state, particularly with the presence of DraftKings at Casino Queen across the river from St. Louis. The DraftKings Sportsbook app is one of the most innovative in the country, and its betting carousel customizes customer experiences. The only issue is that DraftKings has no current connection to Missouri casinos.

BetRivers Sportsbook

• Chance of launching in Missouri: Very likely

BetRivers Sportsbook is the sports betting wing of the gambling company Rush Street Interactive. Its Rivers casinos are present in Illinois, Pennsylvania and New York, and its sportsbook app is available in multiple states. In February 2022, Rush Street entered into a new agreement with Penn National that among its provisions will grant BetRivers additional access Maryland, Ohio and Missouri.

Where to bet on sports in Missouri

As noted above, the House bill also authorized all 13 Missouri casinos to be eligible to open retail sportsbooks. Whether they all will choose to build sportsbooks is less certain, but the casinos will be the most likely locations for sports bettors who prefer to wager in person.

• Ameristar Casino Hotel Kansas City: 3200 North Ameristar Drive, Kansas City, MO 64161, 816-414-7000
• Ameristar Casino Resort Spa St. Charles: 1 Ameristar Blvd., St Charles, MO 63301, 636-949-7777
• Argosy Casino Hotel & Spa: 777 NW Argosy Casino Parkway, Riverside, MO 64150, 816-746-3100
• Bally’s Kansas City: 1800 E. Front St., Kansas City, MO 64120, 816-855-7777
• Century Casino Cape Girardeau: 777 Main St., Cape Girardeau, MO 63701, 573-730-7624
• Century Casino Caruthersville: 777 E. Third St., Caruthersville, MO 63830, 573-333-6000
• Harrah’s Kansas City: 1 Riverboat Drive, North Kansas City, MO 64116, 816-472-7777
• Hollywood Casino and Hotel St. Louis: 777 Casino Center Drive, Maryland Heights, MO 63043, 855-785-4263
• Isle of Capri Casino Hotel Boonville: 100 Isle of Capri Blvd., Boonville, MO 65233, 660-882-1200
• Lumiere Place Casino Hotel: 999 N. Second St., St. Louis, MO 63102, 314-881-7777
• Mark Twain Casino: 104 Pierce St., La Grange, MO 63448, 866-454-5825
• River City Casino Hotel: 777 River City Casino Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63125, 314-388-7777
• St. Jo Frontier Casino: 777 Winners Circle, St Joseph, MO 64505, 816-279-5514

In addition, the legislation provided for six professional sports franchises in Missouri to operate online sportsbooks. While the franchises would not have been authorized to operate full-fledged retail sportsbooks, they could have potentially opened sports betting lounges at their stadiums and arenas.

That means the six teams that could get involved with Missouri sports betting include the following:

• Kansas City Royals (MLB)
• St. Louis Cardinals (MLB)
• Kansas City Chiefs (NFL)
• St. Louis Blues (NHL)
• St. Louis City SC (MLS)
• Kansas City Current (NWSL)

Note that another MLS franchise, Sporting Kansas City, would be excluded as they actually play their home games across the border at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas.

Popular teams for Missouri sports betting

Missouri is in the upper half of states in terms of population. Roughly 6.2 million call the Show-Me State home, which places it alongside states like Colorado and Maryland in population. Like those two states, Missouri has its share of professional sports teams, as well. Those teams would doubtless be hot ticket items if sports betting becomes legal in the state.

NFL

Both St. Louis and Kansas City have reached the zenith of football achievement and each city has a Super Bowl championship to its name. Unfortunately, the St. Louis team has relocated (and won an additional championship), but there is still one highly successful NFL team that calls Missouri home.

• Kansas City Chiefs: Arrowhead Stadium, 1 Arrowhead Drive, Kansas City, MO 64129

NBA

Oddly enough, there are no NBA teams that hang their hats in Missouri. Basketball fans in the state tend to place their loyalties with the Missouri Tigers or Saint Louis Billikens during March Madness. Nevertheless, whenever sports betting appears in Missouri, NBA wagering on regional favorites like the Oklahoma City Thunder or Memphis Grizzlies will be available.

MLB

Missouri’s list of accomplishments in Major League Baseball is quite long. There are two MLB teams in the Missouri, and both of them have multiple World Series victories.

• Kansas City Royals: Kauffman Stadium, 1 Royal Way, Kansas City, MO 64129
• St. Louis Cardinals: Busch Stadium, 700 Clark Ave., St. Louis, MO 63102

NHL

Although Missouri is not normally a hotbed for hockey, the Blues have plenty of supporters in the St. Louis area. With the team’s recent success, more fans are probably on the way.

• St. Louis Blues: Enterprise Center, 1401 Clark Ave., St. Louis, MO 63103

NCAA

There are several college teams that call Missouri home and play in the NCAA’s Division I, the highest level of play. Several sports stars at Missouri universities have gone on to have extremely successful professional careers, including Chase Daniel, Ian Kinsler, Kellen Winslow, Ed Macauley and Dan Connolly. Here are the top NCAA schools in Missouri:

• Missouri State University
• Saint Louis University
• Southeast Missouri State University
• University of Missouri
• University of Missouri-Kansas City

Be aware that while some states allow a free-for-all with in-state college teams, others restrict betting on the schools inside state lines or don’t even allow it at all. Current sports betting legislation in Missouri would permit betting on college teams, including those from Missouri. We’ll have to wait and see, though, whether or not that changes before the bill ultimately passes.

What’s next for legal sports betting in Missouri?

As nothing happened for Missouri sports betting during the 2022 legislative session, the state reverts back to wait-and-see mode as far as sports betting is concerned.

With Kansas having launched legal sports betting in time for the 2022 NFL season, Missourians wanting to bet on sports have the option to travel east and do so. Meanwhile expect to see sports betting legislation in Missouri once again in play in 2023.