Missouri Sports Betting Launch Continues With Quiet Public Comment Session
No prospective Missouri sportsbook candidates nor state locals spoke at a sportsbook rulemaking public hearing Thursday, continuing momentum for its set up Dec. 1 launch.
- Missouri's sports betting launch remains on track for Dec. 1, as no objections were raised during a current public hearing on proposed sportsbook regulations.
- FanDuel, DraftKings, and Circa are contending for two untethered licenses, while other books like Bet365, BetMGM, and ESPN BET pursue connected access.
- Final guidelines are expected by Sept. 30, with license announcements for untethered sportsbooks set for Aug. 15 and connected licensees after Sept. 12.
Missouri, like the other 30 states that approved legal mobile sports betting, needs state regulators to promote rules before licensing sportsbooks and accepting bets. These regulations cover a host of problems not covered in enacting legislation, including sportsbook licensing requirements, and sporting events betting eligibility.
A 2024 voter-backed constitutional change that approved sports wagering requires books to go live by Dec. 1, implying a public rules objection wouldn't have a direct impact on the state's regulatory procedure. But a peaceful public hearing Thursday showed Missouri residents - and the industry - aren't speaking out versus the state's proposed sports betting guidelines and are approaching the December launch.
When state lawmakers rejected efforts to legalize online sports wagering in multiple legal sessions, DraftKings and FanDuel partnered with the state's major professional sports teams to place a constitutional amendment on the 2024 ballot. After getting just enough signatures to put the step on the tally, and enduring a late legal difficulty, voters directly approved sports betting this previous November.
The Missouri Gaming Commission (MGC), tasked with enacting the ensuing guidelines for legal sportsbooks, initially wanted to have guidelines approved in time for a June 30 launch. The MGC pressed for emergency situation regulations to accelerate the regulative approval procedure, arguing the state was losing millions in tax profits to offshore and unregulated operators.
That was prevented after Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, who avoided sports betting legislation while a state senator, figured out the commission's guidelines didn't meet "emergency" basic requirements, pressing the launch back to Dec. 1.
" ... there is no legitimate reason for bypassing the standard rulemaking procedure, which is developed to provide the public the possibility to weigh in on choices that affect them," Hoskins wrote in a letter earlier this year resolving his rejection of the proposed emergency situation rules.
The proposals now head to the legislature's Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, a group of lawmakers that weigh in on the state's proposed guidelines. Should the committee advance the MGC's proposal, the state can complete permanent guidelines by Sept. 30, providing the MGC two months to review and approve potential sportsbook licenses under those criteria.
Members of the public and market stakeholders have additional opportunities for comment ahead of the guidelines finalization.
Missouri sportsbook applicants
Six sportsbooks announced their objectives to launch in Missouri. Another half dozen could go live on Dec. 1.
FanDuel, DraftKings and Circa got one of 2 untethered licenses the ballot measure produced. The 2 untethered licensees will not need to partner with a Missouri pro sports team or gambling establishment, possibly conserving the operator millions of dollars in annual market access agreement payments.
Statutory requirements for the 2 untethered licenses consist of marketing spending dedications and income generation potential, which would prefer FanDuel and DraftKings. The duo invested billions on player acquisition expenses since 2018 and integrated accept more than two-thirds of all legal online U.S. sports bets.
FanDuel and DraftKings each contributed more than $40 million to the tally procedure approval project.
The MGC will announce the two untethered licensees Aug. 15. It'll reveal the tethered licensees at some point after its Sept. 12 application deadline.
Sportsbooks that have actually obtained Missouri licenses and/or announced market gain access to deals:
bet365.
BetMGM.
Circa.
DraftKings.
FanDuel.
Underdog
Other likely/potential sportsbooks *:
Bally Bet.
BetRivers.
Caesars.
ESPN BET.
Fanatics.
Acid rock
* Not an extensive list
Should Circa not win an untethered license, it could still partner with one of the state's eligible expert sports groups or gambling establishment operators.
Bet365 has a handle MLB's St. Louis Cardinals and BetMGM secured market gain access to through Century Casinos. ESPN BET (PENN Entertainment), Bally Bet (Bally's) and Caesars already have market access through affiliations with their respective moms and dad companies operating Missouri casinos.
Underdog already requested a mobile sports wagering license, though it hasn't openly announced a market gain access to offer. Fanatics, BetRivers and Hard Rock highlight a group of additional potential licensees.