Not Legal

Missouri Sports Betting: Future Legal MO Sportsbooks & Legislation Updates

Missouri sports betting is legal, but not yet live. On November 5, local voters narrowly passed Amendment 2, opening the door for sports betting in the state to begin Dec. 1.

Follow along below for the latest information on Missouri sports betting, including which MO sportsbooks will go live and what types of things you’ll be able to bet on.

Written by Pat Evans

Last updated:

Fact checked by

Matthew Waters

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DraftKings Pick6 is a peer-to-peer fantasy game where users pick two to six athletes and predict whether they’ll go over or under their stat lines. It launched in late 2023 and is available in 31 states, including Missouri, offering a fun and legal alternative to traditional sports betting.

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Is sports betting legal in Missouri?

Sports betting is legal, though there are no legal sportsbooks in Missouri at this time. The nearest places to bet are in Kansas, Kentucky, Iowa, Illinois, Tennessee, and Arkansas.

Legal sportsbooks will launch in Missouri on Dec. 1, 2025 — the latest date the Missouri Gaming Commission’s could open the market. This spring, the MGC tried to expedite this process by instituting emergency legislative powers, aiming for a launch by June 2025. Secretary of State Denny Hoskins rejected this proposition, stating that the MGC’s claims did not meet the criteria for what constitutes an “emergency” in the state.

DFS pick’em and social sportsbooks, like DraftKings Pick6, are currently legal in Missouri and offering contests now. Currently, up to 21 operators have the opportunity to launch in the state. Even with the launch of legal sports betting looming, we recommended getting started with DraftKings Pick6, which offers pick’em style player props for users in Missouri.

What’s happening in Missouri sports betting right now

When will online sports betting launch in Missouri?

Online and in-person sports betting will begin on Dec. 1, 2025. Sports betting appeared on the ballot in November 2024, and with voters passing Amendment 2.

Status of Missouri sports betting

While legislative efforts to legalize sports betting in Missouri failed again in 2024, a ballot initiative garnered more than 50% of the vote during the 2024 election. With the referendum, the Missouri Gaming Commission is working on getting sports betting up and running by December 2025.

At the end of January, Missouri Gaming Commission Chair Jan ZImmerman said a rules draft for sports betting is now in Gov. Mike Kehoe’s hands for review. The Missouri Gaming Commission will hold meetings on May 28 and June 25.

Ahead of the sports betting launch later this year, DFS pick’em and social sportsbooks continue to operate legally in the state. The state has ordered DFS companies to stop offering house-versus-player contests, but peer-to-peer contests remain available.

Missouri sports betting timeline

2025

Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins rejected the emergency status for activating on sports betting rules. The original estimated launch of June 2025 has been pushed back to sometime in the fall.

In May, regulators confirmed the sports betting market would begin on Dec. 1.

2024

Two new sports betting bills, SB 852 and SB 824, are filed at the start of the state’s 2024 Legislative session.

Saint Louis University and YouGov release a poll that shows 60% support from Missouri residents for sports betting legalization to support public education.

FanDuel and DraftKings donate more than $2 million toward the Missouri sports betting ballot initiative. The Winning for Missouri Education initiative submits 340,000 signatures to the Secretary of State’s Office. 170,000 valid signatures are required to get the question of sports betting on the ballot.

The 2024 legislative session ends on May 24 without passing legal sports betting legislation.

The Missouri Gaming Commission sent a memo to licensed fantasy sports operators on March 19 to cease and desist offering against-the-house pick’em contests. The state still allows peer-to-peer fantasy contests.

Missouri sports betting will remain on the ballot in November after a judge ruled in favor of Secretary of State John Ashcroft.

2023

Multiple sports betting bills are introduced during the 2023 legislative session, including SB 30, which passes the House but fails in the Senate near the finish line.

All the introduced legislation fails during the 2023 session, with Sen. Denny Hoskins playing a key role. Hoskins wants sports betting tied to regulatory language for video lottery terminals and participates in filibusters throughout the session.

The Hoskins obstruction began in 2022 when he prevented Rep. Dan Houx’s proposal despite a coalition of the state’s professional teams, casinos, and national sportsbook companies backing the legislation.

In September, the Missouri Pro Sports Coalition, consisting of six pro sports teams in the state, files eight proposals to amend the state constitution to allow Missouri sportsbooks.

2022

There is renewed hope in 2022 for Missouri’s online sports betting. A proposal from a coalition backed by the state’s professional sports teams, casinos, and national sportsbook operators appears to have steam.

Legislation containing the proposal passes the House and advances to the Senate floor. In the Senate chamber, however, the proposal is filibustered by the author of a competing bill.

While three alternate proposals are presented to the coalition, the casinos disagree with the new compromises. The Senate adjourns for the year without acting on a sports betting bill.

2021

While there is momentum from previous years’ efforts, Missouri sports betting legislation fails to gain much traction in 2021. A main bill legalizing sports betting falls to the side without casino support, as it was tied to video lottery terminal regulation.

2020

Despite the progress in the special committee at the end of 2019, Missouri legislators introduce six bills in 2020, and most have the same problems as old bills.

Even after what Rep. Dan Shaul said in the special committee, he introduces a bill with an integrity fee and official league data. That bill, which also included video lottery terminals and would have allowed the lottery to offer games based on the outcomes of sporting events, quickly advances to the House floor. The bill ultimately fails.

2019

A Missouri sports betting bill that the House General Laws Committee passes would have been like a dream to sports leagues. Not only would it have given them their request of an official league data mandate, but also their old request of a 0.25% integrity fee plus an additional 0.6% of handle to fund maintenance upkeep at Missouri sports facilities.

A Special Interim Committee on Gaming convenes in October seemed to have a better understanding of what is necessary in a bill for potential sportsbooks in the state to put out a competitive product.

2018

The first MO sports betting bills appear in 2018. Even then, there is a lot of interest but not much agreement on how to conduct sports betting.

In preparation for the US Supreme Court overturning PASPA, Missouri legislators introduce six sports betting bills.

Sports betting sites that could launch in Missouri

Here are some of the online sportsbooks that we see as most likely to appear and offer the top sports betting promos if the state decides to legalize online sports betting in the future:

Latest Missouri sports betting news

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Legal sports betting options in Missouri

There are currently no legal sports betting options in Missouri. The state legalized betting on horse races in 1984, but only at racetracks. There are no racetracks in Missouri, so there is no legal betting on horses. Online horse betting could be part of sports betting legislation.

There are illegal offshore websites that offer sports betting in Missouri. They do not hold a license from any US jurisdiction to legally accept bets from residents. Without regulation from the state, these offshore betting apps are under no obligation to resolve any disputes that arise. Additionally, there is nothing that keeps an offshore sportsbook from disappearing with its customers’ money.

The safest and most protected way to bet on sports in the United States is with a licensed sportsbook.

Most popular sports to eventually bet on in Missouri

Missouri is home to several professional sports organizations. There are representatives of almost every major sports league in the Show-Me State. In some cases, there are two. Should Missouri ever legalize sports betting, these teams will be hot tickets.

NFL betting in Missouri

The story of the NFL in Missouri is very much a tale of two cities. Kansas City is home to the defending Super Bowl champions. Meanwhile, St. Louis has had two NFL teams leave the city. The bottom line is that there is only one Missouri NFL team right now:

MLB betting in Missouri

Missouri’s two major cities are each home to Major League Baseball teams. Both have experienced success in the past two decades, with World Series rings in both camps.

NHL betting in Missouri

A single representative from the NHL calls Missouri home, and in 2019, it brought the state its first Stanley Cup.

NBA betting in Missouri

The lone exception to the presence of major professional sports leagues in Missouri is the NBA. Since the Kansas City Kings left in the mid-1980s, the state has been without an NBA representative.

For whatever reason, professional basketball has had difficulty staying afloat in Missouri. Before the Kings, Missourians also witnessed the end of both the NBA’s St. Louis Bombers and the ABA’s Spirits of St. Louis, along with the arrival of the St. Louis Hawks and then their departure to Atlanta. NBA fans in Missouri must turn to the Indiana Pacers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Memphis Grizzlies, or Chicago Bulls as the closest teams to root for.

NCAA betting in Missouri

Missouri is home to several prominent universities. Of course, the largest and best-known college in the state is the University of Missouri in Columbia. The Tigers have experienced success in multiple sports. Unfortunately, Missouri residents will not be able to wager on the West Region’s No. 6 Tigers during March Madness 2025.

Still, bettors eventually could wager on Tigers sports. In addition, they could look to several other Division I universities in Missouri, and many of them figure to be popular options if the state allows sports betting:

The unknown factor for college sports betting in Missouri is how many activities the law or the Missouri Gaming Commission would allow as options for Missouri sports bettors. In-state colleges are frequent subjects of restrictions from lawmakers and gambling commissions in other states. Bettors sometimes cannot place certain types of wagers or bet on in-state schools at all.

So, although games featuring the above schools would be popular choices, it’s not yet clear whether they would be legal options.

Missouri DFS pick’em and social sportsbooks

Daily fantasy sports contests are legal under Missouri state law. The Missouri Fantasy Consumer Protection Act of 2016 established a licensing format for legitimate DFS providers to operate as normal vendors in the state. Several DFS companies are in good standing with the Missouri government to do business in the state.

In March 2024, the Missouri Gaming Commission sent a memo to licensed fantasy sports operators to cease and desist from offering against-the-house pick’em contests. Peer-to-peer fantasy contests are still available in the state, as is social sports betting on sweepstakes-style platforms.

DraftKings Pick6 Missouri

DraftKings Pick6 is a fantasy-style game that mirrors the excitement of sports betting while remaining accessible across a wide range of states, including Missouri. Instead of betting against the house, users compete by selecting player stat lines and predicting whether each will go over or under, bringing strategy and skill into play.

Unlike a traditional sportsbook, Pick6 operates in the fantasy sports space, allowing users to build entries with two to six picks for the chance to win real cash prizes. With a clean interface, social-friendly features like shared contests, and seamless integration with the DraftKings ecosystem, Pick6 offers Missouri fans a fun, legal way to stay engaged with their favorite sports.

Missouri horse racing

Technically, betting on Missouri horse racing is legal. However, no racing currently operates in Missouri. Although the state legalized horse racing and betting in 1984, no developers found the details appealing enough to open a track.

One problem is the law only permits simulcast wagering on days that tracks hold live races.

There have been several efforts in the legislature over the years to interest investors in opening a track by changing the law to allow simulcast betting throughout the year and allow casino games at racetracks, but so far those efforts have failed.

Although horse betting theoretically is legal in Missouri at a racetrack, it is not legal to bet on races from around the country on online platforms. Online horse racing betting could be part of future sports betting legislation.

Responsible Gambling in Missouri

The MGC is expected to enforce strict rules, including no ads targeting minors, background checks for operators, and resources for problem gambling baked into every platform. The state’s 10% tax will partly fund the Compulsive Gambling Prevention Fund, offering support for those who need it. If you or someone you know struggles with gambling, help is available at 1-800-GAMBLER.

MO Sports Betting FAQ

Is sports betting legal in Missouri?

Sports betting is not legal in Missouri. A Dec. 1, 2025 launch is planned for both online and in-person sportsbooks.

Who would oversee sports betting in Missouri?

The Missouri Gaming Commission. The MGC oversees all gambling in the state — even charitable gaming — except for the lottery. It is the natural regulator for any new gambling in Missouri, including sports betting, and many of the bills under consideration explicitly name it as the oversight agency. It’s possible that the lottery commission might end up in charge of regulation. That, however, is the less likely of the two options.

Would I be able to bet on sports online in Missouri?

Yes, Missourians will be able to bet online when the launch happens in 2025. It’s unlikely that any legislator will want to restrict online sports betting with tethering.

Who will be able to bet on sports in Missouri?

You’ll need to be 21 or older. The existing gambling options in the state have already established a precedent for players to be over the drinking age, and the active measures in the Missouri General Assembly each identify eligible players as people over the age of 21.

Some sports betting websites say they accept bets from the United States. Are those legal options?

No. There are currently no sportsbook operators that are licensed at the federal level, which means all US sportsbooks are licensed at the state level. Any website that suggests betting from anywhere in the US is allowed is a website that operates offshore. It is not legal for those sites to accept bets from US citizens, and those sites offer no protection to those who bet on them.