Missouri Sportsbooks Launching on Dec. 1: Sign Up for Pre-Launch Offers Today

You can place bets through mobile Missouri betting apps as soon as legal betting is launched.

The Missouri Gaming Commission awarded Circa Sports an untethered mobile license on Aug. 15. Known for its sharp lines and low-hold markets, Circa has expanded its footprint in several states over the past year.

After beating out FanDuel for the untethered license, Circa Sports CEO Derek Stevens told Gambling.com:

Winning one of Missouri’s first two untethered mobile betting licenses is a great honor. We came in as the long shot against national giants like DraftKings and FanDuel, but our licensure approval today proves there’s room for a different kind of operator. Circa Sports is built for bettors, with sharp odds, high limits and a low hold. We’ve already connected with 81,000 Missourians through our Club One loyalty program, and we’re ready to be an active part of the community, from local events to supporting youth sports. 

We didn’t win by trying to be the biggest. We won by staying true to who we are, and I want to thank the Missouri Gaming Commission for recognizing that and giving us the opportunity to bring the Circa Sports experience to the State of Missouri. We can’t wait to get started!

We put every sportsbook, including those launching in Missouri, through a rigorous, hands-on review process that ensures you're getting the best one to meet your needs. All of our recommended Missouri sportsbooks have obtained the necessary licenses from the Missouri Gaming Commission, ensuring that your money and personal information are protected by the regulations set forth by the state.

We sign up for each sportsbook, claim welcome offers and existing promotions, examine odds and markets, place bets and withdraw winnings, and test customer support and the overall user experience. After that, we grade each sportsbook across 10 key trust factors:

Signing up with and using Missouri sportsbooks will be easy. We'll explain what to expect during the sign-up process and the betting markets to explore.

Missouri sports betting sites will use geolocation software to determine your location when you sign up, and you must be physically present in the state at the time. After successfully opening the account, you must still be in the state when you make wagers. 

Pre-registration is currently open, so you can start signing up for Missouri sports betting pre-launch offers now.

Authorized mobile sports betting companies can let bettors set up online accounts and deposit funds into their accounts on Nov. 17, according to the Missouri Gaming Commission. If those companies have their temporary licenses, they can begin live wagering at 12 a.m. on Dec. 1, the commission said.

Circa Sports and DraftKings have been issued untethered mobile licenses. Temporary permits were granted to bet365, BetMGM, Caesars, Fanatics, and FanDuel.

After voters passed Constitutional Amendment 2, online and retail betting in Missouri will go live on Dec. 1, 2025. The Sports Betting Initiative amendment was on Missouri's November 5, 2024, ballot after hundreds of thousands of petitioners lobbied to add it.

The Missouri Gaming Commission issued the first mobile sports licenses to online operators, including:

• bet365
• BetMGM
• Caesars Sportsbook
• Fanatics Sportsbook
• FanDuel
• theScore Bet (previously doing business as ESPN BET)

DraftKings and Circa Sports have already been selected to receive licenses, allowing them to operate statewide once legal betting begins. MGC Chairman Jan Zimmerman confirmed to Gambling.com that sports betting will go live in the state on Dec. 1, 2025. 

In the spring of 2025, the MGC tried to expedite the launch through emergency legislative powers. However, Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, a critic of Missouri sports betting since he was a state senator, rejected that emergency statute, arguing it didn't meet the appropriate criteria. So, the regulatory process was pushed back several months.

The state constitution of Missouri previously only made provisions for pari-mutuel horse racing betting. Amendment 2 was introduced to change the constitution to allow online and retail sports betting. 

The amendment directs the Missouri Gaming Commission to oversee sports betting in the state and requires it to go live by Dec. 1, 2025, at the latest. The amendment sets the tax rate on sports betting operators at 10%, funding public education and compulsive gambling prevention.

The amendment notably does not include any language regulating Video Lottery Terminals, which had long been a sticking point for Hoskins. Instead, it allows one "skin" (or mobile license) per operator.

Allow the Missouri Gaming Commission to regulate licensed sports wagering including online sports betting, gambling boats, professional sports betting districts, and mobile licenses to sports betting operators

There are up to 21 possible licenses allowed under Amendment 2, and there are three different types of licenses available:

• Casino: Missouri has 13 brick-and-mortar casinos; each can apply for one license.
• Professional Sports Teams: There are six pro sports teams with stadiums in Missouri (Kansas City Chiefs, Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Blues, Kansas City Current, St. Louis City SC), and each of them can partner with one operator for a license. The St. Louis Battlehawks of the UFL are potentially eligible to apply for a permit under these stipulations.
• Untethered: Two mobile-only licenses that don't require a partnership will be available.

Retail license fees cost $250K, while mobile licenses are $500K.

Through its application process, the Missouri Gaming Commission will award licenses all at once, not on a rolling basis. 

Sportsbooks will be taxed at a rate of 10%.

Proponents estimate that Missouri sports betting will generate $3.4 billion in handle in its first year of operation, $47.5 million in taxable revenue, and $4.7 million in taxes. 

However, the state estimates it could generate between $0 and $28.9 million in tax revenue annually. Because the proposal allows for deductions against revenues, sportsbooks can write off losses taken on promotional spending up to 25%.

These estimates have been the subject of considerable debate, as some, such as the Missourians Against the Deceptive Online Gambling Agreement, argue that revenue estimates cannot be accurate and will fall short of projections.

• Dec. 1, 2025: Missouri sports betting launches.
• Nov. 26, 2025: Underdog withdraws its application to launch online sports betting in Missouri.
• Nov. 20, 2025: DraftKings becomes the official sports betting and daily fantasy partner of the St. Louis Blues. 
• Nov. 6, 2025: ESPN and PENN Entertainment announce they will end their sports betting agreement, and ESPN BET will cease operations on Dec. 1. All online ESPN BET sportsbooks, including the one that will launch in Missouri, will rebrand as theScore Bet.
• Oct. 22, 2025: The Missouri Gaming Commission issues the first temporary retail and mobile sports licenses to operators and suppliers.
• Sept. 12, 2025: The Missouri Gaming Commission receives applications for tethered mobile sports betting and brick-and-mortar licenses.
• Aug. 25, 2025: Fanatics announces it has partnered with Boyd Gaming for mobile betting in Missouri.
• Aug. 15, 2025: The MGC announces that DraftKings and Circa Sports were selected to receive untethered mobile licenses to operate anywhere in Missouri when legal wagering begins. Meanwhile, FanDuel announced a market access partnership with St. Louis City SC.
• Aug. 13, 2025: Direct mobile license applicants present their cases to the commission.
• Aug. 5, 2025: Fanatics applies for a Missouri sports betting license.
• July 16, 2025: The MCG unanimously approves giving the commission's executive director the ability to issue temporary betting licenses.
• July 15, 2025: DraftKings, FanDuel, and Circa beat the deadline for one of two untethered betting licenses, the MGC tells Gambling.com.
• July 11, 2025: FanDuel applies for an untethered betting license.
• June 11, 2025: The Missouri Gaming Commission receives its first two online betting license applications—DraftKings and Underdog.
• May 27, 2025: Century Casino & Hotel Cape Girardeau announces an agreement with BetMGM to bring the platform to Missouri.
• May 15, 2025: The Missouri Gaming Commission confirms that sports betting won't go live before Dec. 1, 2025. The application period for all licenses officially opens.
• May 7, 2025: Per Flutter's first-quarter earnings call, FanDuel is targeting a Q4 Missouri sports betting launch.
• April 23, 2025: The commission delivers proposed sports betting rules to the governor's office. Rules are expected to be approved at the commission's May meeting.
• April 16, 2025: No one from the general public participated in a month-long period to comment on the upcoming launch of sports betting in Missouri.
• March 26, 2025: BetMGM confirms it will pursue a Missouri sports betting license, though it may not be through the sportsbook's existing relationship with the Chiefs.
• March 24, 2025: The St. Louis Cardinals and bet365 announce a multi-year marketing partnership.
• March 18, 2025: Underdog Fantasy confirms it will pursue a sports betting license in Missouri.
• Feb. 21, 2025: Current Secretary of State and former state senator Hoskins denies the Gaming Commission's request for emergency sports betting regulations, delaying the projected June 2025 start date.
• Nov. 25, 2024: Rush Street CEO Richard Schwartz says the company is preparing for the launch in Missouri. Rush Street Interactive is the parent company of BetRivers.

The road to legal sports betting in Missouri has been a long one. A key issue was whether video gaming terminals (VGTs), or video lottery terminals (VLTs), should be legalized alongside sports betting. Casinos oppose VGTs because they argue they function like slot machines without adhering to gaming regulations, and getting Missouri casinos to support a sports betting proposal is crucial.

Former state senator and current Secretary of State Denny Hoskins has been at the center of recent events, including those of 2024 and 2025.

2024

In January, organizers filed paperwork with the Missouri Ethics Commission to form the Winning for Missouri Education PAC. By April, the PAC had accumulated over 340,000 signatures (they were only required to obtain 180,000 to present to the secretary of state's office) to add a constitutional amendment to the 2024 state ballot, legalizing sports betting.

In August, then-Secretary of State John Ashcroft declared the initiative had sufficient signatures to appear on the ballot. 

However, a Cole County Circuit Court lawsuit was filed to block the initiative from the November ballot, alleging that the petition was unconstitutional. To place a proposal on the ballot in Missouri, petition signatures must be obtained from 8% of the registered voters in six congressional districts. The suit argued that the proposal didn’t use newly redrawn districts following the 2020 U.S. Census, so it did not meet the required number of signatures. The lawsuit was dismissed in September.

In the lead-up to Election Day, Winning for Missouri Education gained bipartisan support in the state senate and endorsements from the Kansas City Star and St. Louis Dispatch. The amendment also had strong backing from Missouri's professional sports teams, including the Kansas City Chiefs, the Kansas City Royals, and Sporting KC.

Amendment 2 passed with 50.12% of the vote in favor. Amendment 5, which would have authorized a new casino in the Lake of the Ozarks, failed, with 52.5% opposing the measure.

According to the Missouri Ethics Commission, Winning for Missouri Education received $43.05 million in contributions, setting a record for campaign fundraising. FanDuel and DraftKings contributed $20.525 million each, and Missouri's six pro sports teams contributed just under $2M.

2023

In early February, the House Emerging Issues Committee heard HB 556, which included familiar language: a 10% tax rate, a deduction on promotional costs, rights to major sports teams to control sportsbook advertising around their stadiums, three skins per casino, and one per sports team.

Later that month, the Senate Appropriations Committee heard testimony on three bills: SB 30, which would legalize online sports betting; SB 192, which would legalize VGTs; and SB 1 (filed by Hoskins), which would allow both. All three bills included betting provisions similar to the House bills.

Hoskins again staged a filibuster after the Appropriations Committee, of which he was a member, failed SB 1 in a 10-2 vote. 

In March, the House passed HB 556 118-35, and it was referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee. However, no hearings or further readings were scheduled in the Senate, so the bill died at the end of the legislative session.

2022

A coalition that includes Missouri's professional sports teams, land-based casinos, and national operators has gained momentum behind HB 2502. The bill included a 10% tax rate on sportsbooks, a deduction on welcome offer promotional costs, rights to major sports teams to control sportsbook advertising around their stadiums, three skins per casino, and one license per sports team.

Tax revenue would go towards state education programs and casino host cities.

It was approved and amended by several House committees, but faced roadblocks in the Senate. In April, Hoskins led a filibuster for nearly four hours on the Senate floor to delay a vote because the proposals did not include provisions for VLTs. 

After blocking the bill, Hoskins agreed to craft new legislation that included a higher 15% tax rate and a $1.25 million annual fee per platform, excluding VGTs. That latest version, however, faced scrutiny from Sen. Bill White, who questioned the actual economic impact of sports betting. In response, Hoskins withdrew the new bill.  

Stakeholders reportedly disagreed on application fees, casino buy-in, and other issues. The legislative session concluded without action on a bill.

During this session, some lawmakers began discussing a constitutional or electoral solution to the sports betting issue in Missouri. 

2021

At the start of the 2021 legislative session, some measures were introduced to legalize sports betting in person and online: SB 18 and SB 256. Hoskins was a strong proponent of legalizing online sports betting, but only if the measure included VLTs. 

These bills are all referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee, of which Hoskins had been a member since 2018, but they stall out.

2020

Legislators introduced six bills to legalize sports betting, which included provisions such as remote registration and royalty fees for wagers involving professional sports leagues and the NCAA. However, the COVID-19 pandemic halted progress on legislation that year.

2019

HB 199, establishing sports wagering in Missouri, was introduced and referred to the Missouri House Committee on General Laws. The bill established an 8% tax rate and $10,000 application fee, but would have allowed leagues to require operators to use official data in settling any bet unrelated to the final score. 

In committee, it was amended to include an integrity fee of 0.25% of handle for professional sports leagues and state universities, and an additional 0.6% fee to fund the upkeep of Missouri sports stadiums. The committee voted to recommend it to the House floor in a 7-3 vote, but it didn't reach the floor before the end of the 2019 legislative session. 

A bipartisan Special Interim Committee on Gaming convened in October to determine how to produce a competitive sports betting product in Missouri. At the time, committee chairman Dan Shaul said all members wanted mobile betting without in-person registration, no limits, no integrity fee, and no league data mandate.

2018

Rep. Bart Korman introduced HB 2320 to create a Missouri Gaming Commission to oversee sports betting. In anticipation of a Supreme Court ruling, state Rep. Dean Plocher introduced House Bill 2535, and Hoskins introduced SB 1013 to legalize sports betting. The latter bills would allow sports betting online and in-person on Missouri riverboats, while allowing leagues to control official data.

HB 2535 lost momentum in its committee hearing, and SB 1013 never advanced that far.

By a 6-3 vote, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the PASPA statute that makes sports betting illegal on the federal level is unconstitutional. Any state that wants to legalize the activity is free to do so.

Football

• NFL Teams: Kansas City Chiefs
• Prominent College Football Teams: Mizzou, Missouri State

Following the national trend, NFL and college football will undoubtedly be Missouri's most significant betting markets. Bettors will be able to wager on the three-time Super Bowl champion Chiefs in Missouri for the first time.

Betting on college sports will be allowed in Missouri. 

Baseball

• MLB Teams: Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals

Missouri has two MLB teams with fervent fanbases: the Royals and the Cardinals. Some sites may even have special seasonal MLB promotions or partnerships within their stadiums.

Soccer

• MLS Teams: Sporting KC, St. Louis City FC
• NWSL Teams: Kansas City Current

Though the U.S. is not typically known for a love of soccer, Missouri might be a rare exception, with three professional teams calling the state home. Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes is a part-owner of Sporting KC and the Kansas City Current (his wife, Brittany, is also a part-owner of the latter).

Hockey

• NHL Teams: St. Louis Blues

Missouri fans love their hockey—and they love the Blues. In 2019, St. Louis won its first and only Stanley Cup.

DFS pick'em and social sportsbooks are legal in Missouri. The Missouri Gaming Commission sent cease-and-desist letters to daily fantasy operators to stop against-the-house pick’em contests. However, the state still allows peer-to-peer fantasy contests. 

Then-Governor Jay Nixon signed House Bill 1941 to legalize DFS sites in June 2016.

Horse racing betting sites have been legal under 313.660 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri, but only within the confines of a licensed racetrack. The only problem is that Missouri has no tracks, and online platforms cannot accept MO residents.

Even though sports betting isn’t legal in Missouri yet, the state already has a strong commitment to responsible gambling practices, thanks to its casinos. Missouri casinos follow the American Gaming Association’s Responsible Gaming Code of Conduct, which pledges to prevent underage gambling, serve alcohol responsibly, advertise responsibly, and provide oversight.

You can sign up for Missouri’s voluntary List of Disassociated Persons (also known as the Problem Gambling list) online or in person.

You can contact the National Problem Gambling Helpline any time:

• Phone: 1-800-GAMBLER
• Text: 800GAM
• Chat: 1800gamblerchat.org