Missouri Sports Betting Slated for Sooner Than Later

Sports betting legislation was recently passed by a narrow margin in the Show Me State, and the launch is projected to occur sometime this summer, well before the December deadline. 

Show Me the Money 

A famous line in the 1996 movie, Jerry Maguire, was uttered by Cuba Gooding Jr. when he implored his agent (Tom Cruise) to “Show me the money.” The same can be said of Missouri legislators and sports franchises in the state who advocated for sports betting and ultimately won their battle in November. The tax revenue is expected to generate between $9 million and $20 million per year, with the lion’s share going to Missouri’s educational system. 

The hard deadline to launch is December 1, 2025; however, according to reports, the mobile sports betting platforms will launch sooner than that. But just how soon is the question, and it is now being rumored that sports betting will arrive in the Show Me State at some point this summer. Nevertheless, there were some hoping that a quick launch could happen in time for Missourians to bet on the Chiefs in the Super Bowl on February 9th, should they make it that far. 

“It takes time to get those things in place. Licenses, do background checks on people to make sure businesses are set up and websites and everything. It just doesn’t happen overnight,” said Missouri State University Finance and Economics Professor David Mitchell. “It’s more of an operational constraint than it is a legal constraint.” 

Fast Tracking the Launch 

Emergency measures for fast-tracking the mobile gaming industry are expected to be implemented, but there are indelible rules that cannot be circumvented, like those that must be approved by the Governor and Secretary of State before the process can move forward. 

There is also a 30-day public input period where citizens can voice their questions or concerns, which must be addressed before the issuance of licenses for sports betting platforms and employees of those platforms alike. These licenses can only be granted after a vetting process and background checks are complete. 

The mobile sportsbooks must also partner with a Missouri land-based casino or professional sports franchise. Those negotiations are likely already underway, but despite all of these hurdles, Jan Zimmerman, chair of the Missouri Gaming Commission, believes a summer launch is not only possible but probable, and she sees a silver lining in Missouri being late to legalize digital sports betting. 

“There’s some advantages, I guess, to being relatively late to the game,” Zimmerman said. 

This would include having an extensive base of blueprints from other states as to what worked and what didn’t in terms of rules and getting the platforms up and running. Nevertheless, there are shortcuts that cannot be taken, which ensures protecting the public from unscrupulous operators.