Missouri Sports Betting

For a while, it seemed like Missouri was going to be one of the first states in the US to legalize sports betting. But all efforts to pass legislation in the state stalled. MO lawmakers submitted six bills before the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA) was struck down, but it wasn’t until 2022 that a bill passed either the House or Senate. That bill still died without reaching the state’s governor for signature.

However, there is hope for legal sports betting in the state’s future. Missouri sports teams, including the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs and the MLB’s St Louis Blues, have publicly announced their support of legal sports betting. Many of the state’s casino operators have done the same. In addition, Governor Mike Parson acknowledged that sports betting legislation “is going to happen” eventually.

Learn more about sports betting in Missouri by reading our expert guide below. We provide an overview of legislation in MO, some places where you may be able to bet in the future, and legal ways to bet right now.

Missouri Legislation Timeline

• March 13, 2018: Missouri legislators introduced six sports betting bills, all involving the Missouri Gaming Commission regulating sports betting in the state. Each of the bills dies in the Legislature.
• May 14, 2019: The US Supreme Court overturns PASPA, allowing states to create sports betting legislation. The repeal ends Nevada’s monopoly on sports betting in the United States and allows Missouri to pass sports betting legislation.
• May 15, 2020: Legislators introduce six sports betting bills during the 2020 legislative session, but none gain enough support to pass.
• February 23, 2022: Sports teams and casinos in the state make a first public declaration of support for legal and safe sports betting in MO while supporting two different sports betting bills. 
• March 15, 2022: The Senate Appropriations Committee meets regarding HB 2502, SB 1046, and SB 1061, proposing legal sports betting in the state.
• March 24, 2022: HB 2502passes the Missouri House and moves to the Senate. The passage marks the state's first significant progress in sports betting legislation.
• May 13, 2022: Missouri State Legislature session ends without passing a sports betting bill.
• September 30, 2022: A special session of the Missouri State Legislature is called. Governor Mike Parson allegedly prevents lawmakers from considering a sports betting legalization resolution.

Where can I Bet on Sports in Missouri?

While sports betting legislation remains a distant prospect for bettors, you can gamble in Missouri by visiting one of the state’s 14 land-based or river casinos. If Missouri lawmakers decide to legalize sports betting, retail wagering will likely open at these casinos. Check out some of the most likely locations to launch sports betting.

• Argosy Casino Riverside
• Hollywood Casino St Louis
• River City Casino
• President Casino Laclede's Landing
• Harrah’s North Kansas City
• Horseshoe St Louis
• Isle of Capri
• Bally’s Kansas City

The first four of these casinos are owned by Penn National Gaming, which operates Barstool Sportsbook. The next three are operated by Caesars Entertainment, the operator of Caesars Sportsbook, and Bally’s Corporation owns the last casino. Bally’s also runs a sportsbook, Bally Bet. The online platforms for all these brands will likely go live in MO if the state legalizes sports betting.

Sports Betting in Bordering States

While sports betting is not in Missouri,  you can still travel to a neighboring state to legally place wagers. Kansas, Arkansas, Iowa, Illinois, and Tennessee all have legal sports betting as long as you follow local regulations. You can find below the rules you need to follow when betting in states near Missouri. 

Kansas

Sports betting in Kansas launched in September 2022 after Governor Laura Kelly signed SB 84 in May 2022. This legalized mobile and retail sports betting in the state, allowing the state’s four casinos to partner with three online betting brands.

Six sports betting apps, including DraftKings, BetMGM, FanDuel, and Caesars Sportsbook, have gone live in the state since legalization, and this number could grow to twelve soon. You can also bet on horse racing in the state using apps like TwinSpires.

To bet in Kansas, you’ll need to be within the state’s borders, aged 21 or older, and using a betting site licensed by the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission.

Arkansas

Arkansas launched retail sports betting in November 2018 but didn’t approve online sports betting for years. However, the Arkansas State Legislature passed legislation to approve online sports betting in February 2022, and the first online sportsbook launched in April.

While you don’t have to be within state lines to register for an account or even deposit, you’ll need to be over 21 and within Arkansas boundaries to place wagers. The Arkansas Racing Commission is the regulator for sports betting in the state.

Iowa

Iowa legalized sports betting in August 2019, with retail and online sportsbooks launching simultaneously. Initially, you had to register for online sportsbooks in person, but this requirement expired in January 2021. However, you must still be within state lines and over 21 to place wagers. Sports betting is regulated in the state by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission.

Eighteen sports betting apps have been launched in Iowa since the beginning of the online sports betting industry in the state. Some of the biggest US betting brands are available, like DraftKings, BetMGM, FanDuel, Caesars Sportsbook, PointsBet, and BetRivers. For online pari-mutuel horse racing betting, you can use sites like TwinSpires and TVG. 

Illinois

Sports betting arrived in Illinois in June 2019, and there are currently seven online sportsbooks available to play in the State. These include DraftKings, FanDuel, Caesars, PointsBet, and BetRivers. BetMGM was the latest sportsbook to launch in the state in March 2022.

You can also play the Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) apps within the state, including the sports stock market app Jock MKT. You can also use TVG to bet on horse racing online. Sportsbooks are licensed in IL by the Illinois Gaming Board.

Until March 2022, in-person verification was required to sign up for Illinois online sportsbooks. However, this ended after the Illinois General Assembly passed a new law to eliminate this requirement. To place a bet in the state, you must be over 21 and within state lines.

Tennessee

While retail betting is illegal in Tennessee, bettors can place wagers through online sportsbooks like DraftKings, FanDuel, SuperBook, BetMGM, and Caesars Sportsbook. You can also bet on horse racing through sites like TwinSpires.

Sports betting was legalized in 2019, but due to the delay in finalizing rules and regulations, the first online sportsbooks launched in November 2020. To bet in the state, you must be within the state boundaries, aged 21 or older, and using a sportsbook licensed by the Tennessee Sports Wagering Advisory Council.

Missouri Sports Events

Several sporting events outside Missouri’s major league sports teams are held regularly in the Show-Me State, including high-level basketball and some MMA events. We’ve covered a few of the most significant sporting events in the state below.

UFC Fight Night

Missouri has hosted two Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events. On April 15, 2017, it hosted UFC on Fox 24 at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, MO. 12,171 watched as Demetrious Johnson defeated Wilson Reis in 4:49 by submission in the first major MMA event in Missouri.

UFC arrived in St Louis with UFC Fight Night 124 at the Enterprise Center, with the Main Card featuring a featherweight bout between Jeremy Stephens and Choi Doo-ho. Stephens defeated Choi in two rounds by technical knock-out in front of 10,052.

Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament

The Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament is a single-elimination tournament to decide the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Champion. Its home since 2010 has been the Sprint Center in Kansas City, MO. The winner receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

Since the formation of the Big 12 in 1996, members of the former Big 8 have dominated the tournament, with Iowa State University and the University of Kansas winning sixteen of the twenty-four titles. No conference member outside the original Big 8 teams was victorious until the Texas Longhorns defeated Oklahoma State in 2021.

On two occasions in 2008 and 2022, Kansas Jayhawks, the conference’s most successful team, went on to win the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament after winning the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament.