It looks like online sports betting is finally on its way to Missouri – although it would be safe to say that the passing of Amendment 2 happened by the narrowest of margins. Now, sports fans from the Show-Me State eagerly await an official launch date.
On Tuesday, November 5th, 2024, Amendment 2 was passed. This ballot initiative aimed to legalize sports betting across Missouri. After many years of failed attempts, the backing of many major league teams proved sufficient enough to see Missouri become the 39th US state to legalize online sports betting. That said, things were very close.
In total, just over 2.9 million voters had their say. First counts estimated that just 7,500 or 0.25% of the total voters were in favor of sports betting coming to the state – much to the delight of sports fans.
Missouri has a separate law in place that allows any new legislation and amendments to come to fruition thirty days after a general election. With this, the Missouri Gaming Commission can potentially roll out sports betting to the state just in time for the NFL playoffs. The Chiefs, Bills, Eagles, and Lions all look hopeful this year; however, we remain hopeful that official odds will be available in Missouri by early December.
That being said, a turnaround by December could be cutting things fine. Some rules still need to be created and confirmed for any online sportsbooks across the state. Plus, full vetting of these sites must be completed before any sports bets can be placed in a legal capacity here. In turn, we could be waiting until after the Super Bowl.
In Missouri, licenses will likely be presented to the 13 casinos and seven professional sports teams across the state. However, the new laws dictate that a total of 22 digital licenses can be offered. An initial projection for license fee revenue currently sits at $11.75 million based on a 10% tax applied to all legal sportsbooks across the state.
A couple of top sportsbooks that you could soon see open in Missouri include Fanduel and DraftKings. Collectively, DraftKings and Fanduel contributed over $40 million to ‘Winning for Missouri Education’ – a committee that directly supported the passing of Amendment 2.
After MGC expenses and up to $5 million sent to the Compulsive Gaming Fund, sports betting revenue from the state looks set to aid educational state institutions exclusively. A quick calculation highlighted that the first five years of legalized sports betting could create over $21 billion in revenue and support.
DraftKings Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Griffin Finan, had this to say: “We are thrilled that sports betting will create a vital new, permanent funding source for Missouri’s education system and ensure a brighter future for its students.” – We think that these top sportsbooks have all but signed on the dotted line. Of course, you’ll need to stick with us here at Deadspin to find out as things unfold.
Although an official launch date still seems a few weeks away, this is great news for Missouri sports fans. It really won’t be too long before you can start making the most of our comparisons, checking out the best online sportsbooks, and securing the best odds in Missouri.
Stay with us here at Deadspin, and we will be the first to offer you full access to all of the latest comparisons, reviews, and breaking news of when sports betting starts in Missouri.
