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According to state officials, Missouri’s first authorized internet sportsbooks may start taking bets by June 30. Chairman Jan Zimmerman of the Missouri Gaming Commission (MGC) affirmed that the regulatory framework is still being developed.
Officials presented a complicated set of regulations required to introduce mobile sports betting during Tuesday’s MGC meeting. The commission’s progress maintains the summer timeframe even though no formal start date has been set.
“Why couldn’t we flip a switch the next day?” Zimmerman said. “There’s just so much more to it.”
Missouri voters approved a 2024 ballot measure that legalized mobile sports betting statewide, along with retail sportsbooks at casinos and professional sports venues. However, the MGC and other state agencies must finalize regulations before operators can go live.
The process involves submitting proposed rules to the governor’s office and the Secretary of State, followed by a mandatory 30-day public comment period. Zimmerman expects this period to start by the end of the month, ensuring no major delays.
In addition, licensing applications should be finalized by early March. Sportsbook operators will then have about two months to submit applications, with approvals expected at the MGC meetings on May 28 or June 25. This timeline aligns with the anticipated June 30 launch.
“If there’s one advantage of being relatively late to the game, it’s that we’re able to have conversations with these other states that have sports betting,” Zimmerman noted. “We’re not reinventing the wheel.”
Missouri could host up to 21 mobile sportsbooks, though the final number depends on licensing decisions. The state attorney general’s office is reviewing the 2024 ballot measure to determine whether licenses should be granted to each of Missouri’s six casino operators or to individual casinos.
If licenses are awarded to individual casinos, the state will allow 21 operators. If only casino operators qualify, the number drops to 14. Additionally, Missouri’s six major professional sports teams can apply for mobile sportsbook licenses through partnerships with third-party operators. Two additional licenses are available for operators not tied to casinos or sports teams.
FanDuel and DraftKings, which invested over $30 million to support the ballot measure, are leading contenders for these two “untethered” licenses. However, Zimmerman emphasized that regulators have not pre-selected any operators for these spots.