The sports betting market in Missouri has been confirmed to officially open on December 1 of this year, with the industry estimated to generate up to $560 million annually.
The Missouri Gaming Commission chairwoman, Jan Zimmerman, told KSHB 41 the process has been very “detailed, by design.”
“We want to make sure that the people who get a license in the state of Missouri are people who should get a license,” said Zimmerman.
“It takes that long to get all of the information we need.” While this major step is now being taken, it’s not as fast as some would have hoped, as the start of the NFL season will be missed.
The season will begin a few months ahead of the confirmed date, as it starts at the beginning of September. It will run until 5 January, with Missouri fans able to vote from Week 14 onwards.
December 1 marked as Missouri sports betting market date
Back in May, the application period for sports gambling licenses in Missouri opened. This all comes after voters narrowly passed the constitutional amendment that made sports gambling legal last November.
Certain licensing regulations will take effect on August 30, with an interim period between May 15 and August 30 giving the Missouri Gaming Commission space to run the rule over applications and award temporary licenses to approved providers.
Missouri is just one of the latest states in the United States to get going with sports betting since the Supreme Court struck down the Amateur Sports Protection Act in 2018. A total of 38 states and the District of Columbia have since legalized sports betting in some form in the years since.
“A year from now, you know, nobody in Missouri will remember a time when we didn’t have sports wagering right.”
The proceeds from sports gambling in this state will benefit education, and it could be a fruitful market.
Since that 2018 ruling, sports gambling in the United States has blown up considerable,y with the market projected to reach $18.51bn in 2025. In 2024, the American sports betting industry posted a record $13.71 billion in 3024 revenue which was up from $11.04 billion in 2023.
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