Bettors in Missouri wagered $542 million in December, the inaugural month of legal betting in their state, with operators winning a combined $104 million.
Data comes from a Friday report published by the Missouri Gaming Commission, their first since the launch of Missouri sports betting on Dec. 1.
After the statutory allowance for the deduction of promotional costs related to sign-up bonuses, operators recorded a net loss of $20.8 million for the month. With the largest operators reporting big negative totals for adjusted revenue, tax payments to the state came to just $521,000.
That handle number should be good enough to put Missouri just inside the top 15 US markets for December, between Indiana and Tennessee, albeit slightly over indexed by virtue of those promos.
National leaders start strong in Missouri
FanDuel began its campaign in the state as the top sports betting brand, attracting $212 million in handle for the opening month. That 39% share of the statewide total is a slight improvement on its national baseline, where it accounts for around one third of all US sports betting volume. It won $46.0 million from those bets, posting a net loss of $7.19 million after payouts and promotions.
DraftKings slightly overperformed in its debut too, racking up $195 million in wagers for a 36% share. That was aided by promos, though, leading to a loss of $16.9 million for the month despite a gross win of $31.6 million.
Bet365 slotted comfortably into third place with $57.7 million in handle and $18.3 million in gross revenue, and its net win of $3.83 million indicates that it earned that third position without overextending itself in upfront spend. This hot start in a fresh market only adds fuel to the notion that the big bookmaker could be a candidate to change the balance of power among US sports betting brands in the near future.
Here is the handle and revenue rundown for the other operators, alongside their share of the statewide online totals:
- BetMGM: $28.1 million (5.2%) | $2.00 million (1.93%)
- Fanatics: $22.6 million (4.2%) | $2.22 million (2.14%)
- Caesars: $14.5 million (2.7%) | $2.19 million (2.12%)
- theScore Bet (Penn): $6.25 million (1.2%) | $1.02 million (1.0%)
- Circa: $1.42 million (0.3%) | $117,394 (0.1%)
Retail Missouri sports betting results
It is hard to know what to expect from Missouri’s retail sportsbooks in the early going, but here are their handle and revenue vitals for December:
- Ameristar St. Charles: $824,880 | $135,992
- Century Cape Girardeau: $637,776 | $146,012
- Hollywood St. Louis: $633,078 | $162,982
- Argosy Riverside: $476,887 | $114,965
- Horseshoe St. Louis: $456,331 | $72,414
- Harrah’s Kansas City: $398,978 | $100,909
- River City: $388,431 | $88,201
- Ameristar Kansas City: $332,596 | $109,409
The Ameristar books are branded as Fanatics sportbooks after partnering with Boyd for market access.
Retail operators collectively grossed $930,883 from $4.15 million in handle, though it is hard to read too much into the 22% win rate considering the data includes substantial futures bets that count as revenue until settled.
Breaking it down by sport
The breakdown of data by sport is a useful addition to Missouri’s report.
Football betting was the biggest single draw for sportsbooks in December, as you might expect, accounting for 28% of the total volume ($150 million) but just 9.5% of revenue ($9.9 million).
Basketball was the only other significant driver of volume, with just over $100 million in wagers producing $11.6 million in revenue.
Parlays are the overwhelming early favorite for Missouri bettors, though. The $213 million in parlay wagers represented 39% of handle for the month, while the $74.2 million in parlay revenue was more than 70% of the total take across all tickets. Operators held 35% on parlays.
