Missouri citizens authorized legal mobile and retail sports betting, permitting managed books to take bets next year.

The sports betting wagering tally step gone by a slim majority early Wednesday morning after more than 2.9 million votes were counted.

Seven of the 8 states bordering Missouri permit mobile or retail sportsbooks. That includes Kansas and Illinois, which split the Kansas City and St. Louis metro areas with Missouri, respectively.

Missouri is the 39th state to authorize legal sportsbooks and the 31st to green light statewide mobile sports betting. It is the only state to authorize sports betting wagering this year.

" Missouri has some of the very best sports betting fans in the world and they appeared huge for their favorite groups on Election Day," Bill DeWitt III, president of the St. Louis Cardinals, said in a statement. "On behalf of all six of Missouri's professional sports betting franchises, we want to thank the Missouri voters who made their voices heard by approving Amendment 2. This historic vote makes Missouri the 39th state to legislate sports betting wagering and ensures we no longer lose important tax earnings to our neighboring states. Most importantly, the passage of Amendment 2 means a new, dedicated, long-term financing stream for Missouri class."

Missouri sports betting next actions

Voter approval implies approximately 14 mobile sportsbooks might start accepting bets next year. It is not likely all 14 available licenses are used.

DraftKings and FanDuel financed nearly every dollar of the "yes" campaign and will unquestionably apply to take bets in the Show Me State. They will likely each pursue the two "untethered" licenses available without needing to partner with a Missouri brick-and-mortar casino or sports betting team (and pay an accompanying charge).

Six licenses are offered to each Missouri casino operator, respectively. Caesars, regardless of opposing the ballot step, will likely utilize its license to introduce the Caesars mobile sportsbook. Penn Entertainment, which handles ESPN Bet, and Bally's (Bally Bet) will likewise likely release their particular books.

The other three operators are Boyd Gaming, Century Casino, and Affinity Interactive. It stays uncertain if they will launch mobile sportsbooks.

The remaining 6 licenses are booked for each of the significant professional sports betting groups that play home games in Missouri: MLB's Kansas City Royals and Cardinals, the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs, NHL's St. Louis Blues, MLS' St. Louis City SC and the NWSL's Kansas City Current. The sports betting companies were among the most prominent advocates of the ballot procedure.

Along with DraftKings, FanDuel and Caesars, Missouri gamblers should expect other prominent national brand names consisting of BetMGM, bet365, BetRivers and Fanatics to look for market access.

Launch probability tiers IF Missouri citizens approve sports betting wagering:

Guarantees: FanDuel, DraftKings
Locks: BetMGM, Bally Bet
Highly likely: Fanatics, bet365, ESPN BET
Are Already Reside In Illinois, So Yeah(?): BetRivers, Hard Rock, Circa
Opposed Referendum But Still Might: Caesars

Missouri's tally step enables every Missouri gambling establishment to open retail sportsbooks on their respective properties. Most if not all 13 casinos managed by the 6 casino operators are expected to open in-person sports betting choices such as wagering kiosks and potentially committed, full-service sportsbooks.

The 6 sports betting teams can likewise open in-person sportsbooks within or surrounding to their particular home playing places. Missouri will sign up with Illinois, Maryland, Arizona, Connecticut, and Washington, D.C. among jurisdictions that enable in-stadium retail sportsbooks.

The language around the tally procedure needs the first licensed sportsbooks to begin accepting wagers by Dec. 1, 2025. Operators will likely work with regulators to go live before kick-off of the fall 2025 football season, continually books' most financially rewarding time of the sports betting calendar.

Missouri sports betting background

The successful Missouri sports betting wagering project comes regardless of millions in financing opposing the measure from one of the state's largest sports betting stakeholders.

Caesars invested millions of dollars to defeat the step. In most other states that tie online sports betting wagering with a state's brick-and-mortar gambling establishments, an operator is approved at least one license per managed residential or commercial property.

Because scenario in Missouri, Caesars would be paid for at least 3 possible licenses, one for each casino it manages. Instead, Caesars just has one. In states with the license-per-property design, companies can either open additional in-house books or, more typically, farm out the license to a competitor that pays an accompanying fee in exchange.

FanDuel and DraftKings, which have roughly two-thirds of U.S. across the country sports betting wagering manage market share, might possibly have an upper hand on their rivals by making the pair of untethered licenses. It stays to be seen which 2 books will earn these slots, however the language around the tally procedure would appear to favor the 2 national market leaders.

Polling previously in the year revealed the "yes" vote with a small lead. Support efforts were strengthened by 10s of millions spent by DraftKings and FanDuel.

A series of tv and radio ads focused on the profits legal sportsbooks would produce for Missouri public education. Opponents, moneyed largely by Caesars, argued the advocates' advertisements were deceptive and the tens of countless forecasted dollars raised would have a minimal effect in a state that currently invests billions on education yearly.