Online Sports Betting in Missouri

While Missouri legislators have attempted to pass sports betting legislation several times since 2018, the House and Senate have yet to come to an agreement on how sports betting should be conducted.

With the most recent attempt to legalize sports betting failing in 2022, residents in Missouri likely won’t have access to legal sports betting options until 2024 at the earliest.

Here’s what you need to know about online sports betting in Missouri.

Recent News and Details About Sports Betting in Missouri

• The Missouri General Assembly introduced several sports betting bills in early 2022, but none of them were successful, leaving Missouri residents without access to legal sports betting options in the state.
• One piece of sports betting legislation passed the Missouri House and reached the Senate floor; however, the two chambers were unable to come to an agreement before the General Assembly adjourned.
• The House sports betting bill proposed placing retail sportsbooks at the state’s 13 casinos and launching up to 39 online sportsbooks. The bill was backed by several sports teams and casinos.
• Many remain hopeful that legal sports betting will launch in Missouri by 2024, though it will depend on the House and Senate being able to come to an agreement on legislation.
• Missouri legalized horse race betting at racetracks in 1984, but as there are no racetracks in the state, there’s no legal way to bet on horse racing at this time.

Online Sports Betting in Missouri: A Timeline

Missouri legislators have made several attempts over the past few years to legalize sports betting in the state, though none have been successful. Here’s a timeline of Missouri’s attempts to pass sports betting legislation in recent years:

• May 13, 2022: The Missouri Senate fails to pass sports betting legislation before the General Assembly adjourns for the year. As a result, Missouri will be without legal sports betting for at least one more year.
• May 3, 2022: Missouri senators hear sports betting bills on back-to-back Wednesdays, though neither see a vote after both are filibustered.
• April 19, 2022: HB 2502 advances to the Senate floor by the Senate Appropriations Committee.
• April 6, 2022: The Missouri Senate Appropriations Committee held a hearing on a sports betting bill that passed through the House in March, but did not vote on the bill.
• March 24, 2022: The Missouri House passes HB 2502 after lowering the tax rate from 10% to 8%, leaving it up to the Senate to pass the bill.
• Feb. 23, 2022: Several casinos and sports teams throw their support behind two sports betting bills under consideration by the Missouri House Special Committee on Public Policy, including HB 2502 and HB 2566.
• Jan. 26, 2022: Missouri sports teams and casinos partner to push for sports betting legalization in Missouri. The group plans to focus solely on sports betting, as past sports betting bills have failed due to the inclusion of provisions for video lottery terminals.
• 2021: While Missouri lawmakers hope to capitalize on the momentum from previous years, local casinos do not support the sole sports betting bill that’s introduced due to the inclusion of video lottery terminal regulation.
• 2020: Missouri legislators introduce six sports betting bills, though none are successful. Three of these bills are primed to reach the House floor in March, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the session is disrupted and sports betting legislation is put on the back burner.
• 2019: A sports betting bill that requires the use of official league data and introduces a 0.25% integrity fee is passed by the House General Laws Committee, but lawmakers are unable to come to an agreement and pass sports betting legislation.
• 2018: In anticipation of the United States Supreme Court overturning PASPA, Missouri lawmakers introduce several sports betting bills, but legislators are unable to agree on the best way to conduct sports betting in the state.

How Do Missouri Residents Feel About Sports Betting?

There’s not much information on how Missouri residents feel about sports betting. However, given that gambling at casinos has been legal in Missouri for years without opposition, legal sports betting is available in several neighboring states, and many Missouri lawmakers support legal sports betting, there’s a good chance that sports betting legalization would be supported by a large portion of Missouri’s population.

Are Daily Fantasy Sports Apps Legal in Missouri?

Daily fantasy sports (DFS) apps let users capitalize on their sports knowledge by creating fictional teams to compete against other users in daily and weekly contests for cash and other prizes. Some states ban these apps under their gambling laws, while others have legalized them as they view them as games of skill.

The Missouri Fantasy Consumer Protection Act of 2016 paved the way for DFS apps to launch in the state by establishing a licensing format. There are currently eight DFS apps available in Missouri, including popular platforms like DraftKings and FanDuel. While the legal gambling age in Missouri is 21, you only have to be 18 to participate in DFS contests in the state.

Missouri Sports Betting FAQs

Editor’s Note: Information accurate as of June 2022.

Neighboring States That Legalized Sports Betting

Missouri is bordered by Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Nebraska, and Illinois. With Kansas recently passing sports betting legislation, five of these neighboring states now offer legal sports betting:

• Arkansas: Arkansas offers both retail and online sports betting. Retail sports betting has been legal since 2018 at the state’s three casinos, and online sports betting was introduced in 2022 with two online sportsbooks.
• Illinois: Illinois residents can be online using seven different online sportsbooks, including popular platforms like DraftKings and FanDuel. Residents were previously required to register in person for online sports betting, but this requirement ended in 2022, helping the state’s sports betting market grow.
• Iowa: Iowa legalized sports betting in 2019. Since then, over a dozen online sportsbooks have launched in the state, each offering various promotions and bonuses to new customers.
• Kansas: Kansas recently passed sports betting legislation in May 2022. While sports betting is not yet available, regulators hope to get everything running by fall 2022.
• Tennessee: Online sports betting is legal and live in Tennessee, and sportsbooks began launching in November 2020. However, retail sports betting is not available in the state.