Missouri Sports Betting Handle Drops To Record Low In July

Missouri sportsbooks accepted $246.8 million in wagers in July, the lowest monthly handle since the state's market launched in December 2025, according to figures published by the Missouri Gaming Commission. 

Despite the drop in betting volume, taxable revenue rose sharply as sportsbooks held on to a larger share of what was wagered.

The Missouri Gaming Commission's monthly financial report, dated August 15, 2026, shows total handle of $246,804,149 for July, down 4.5% from June's $258.3 million and marking the sixth straight monthly decline since the state's first full month of operation in December 2025. 

Mobile wagering accounted for $243.5 million of the total, with retail sportsbooks contributing the remaining $3.3 million, per the commission's report.

Taxable adjusted gross revenue for the month totalled $21.8 million, up 59.4% from $13.7 million in June, pushing the state's sports wagering tax take to just over $2.19 million, also up 59.5% month over month, the commission's data show.

DraftKings Leads The Way

DraftKings led Missouri operators by handle in July, taking $108.8 million in wagers, up from $103.4 million in June, according to figures reported by CDC Gaming. 

FanDuel ran second with $66.8 million, down from a larger share the previous month, while Bet365, Fanatics and BetMGM followed with handles of $21.3 million, $16.8 million and $16.7 million, respectively.

Ryan Butler, a senior news analyst at Covers.com, said the seasonal dip is likely to reverse quickly as football returns. "Football is going to be huge. 

September will be the biggest month ever for Missouri sports betting, besides maybe December," Butler said. "October is going to be even bigger. November, December will also be big."

Missouri's market opened with a $543 million handle in December 2025 before settling into a lower range through the first half of 2026: $385.1 million in January, $277 million in February, $329.4 million in March, $273.4 million in April, $256.4 million in May and $258.3 million in June, according to the commission's monthly reports. 

July's $246.8 million total is now the lowest of any month since launch.

Baseball The Driving Factor

Baseball drove most of July's activity, accounting for $135.2 million of the state's overall handle, according to figures ABC17 News cited from the Missouri Gaming Commission. 

The dip aligns with the usual mid-summer lull between the end of major spring sports and the start of football season, when Missouri bettors have historically wagered less on a month-to-month basis.

Missouri's sportsbooks lost a combined $20.7 million in their first month of operation in December 2025, largely due to heavy promotional deductions used to attract new customers, before settling into consistent profitability through the first half of 2026. 

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July's hold rate of 8.83% was the highest of any month since launch, helping offset the smaller total amount wagered.

Eight operators are currently licensed to take mobile and retail sports wagers in Missouri following the state's launch, giving bettors a choice of national sportsbooks such as DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Bet365 and Fanatics alongside retail sportsbooks operating out of the state's casino properties, including Argosy Casino, Century Casino Cape Girardeau, Hollywood Casino, River City Casino and the Caesars-branded retail books at Harrah's and Horseshoe, according to the commission's licensee-level revenue detail report for July.