Sports Betting Coming to the Show-Me State

The Kansas City Chiefs, the best NFL team in the league, makes its home in Missouri. The Kansas City Royals were a Wild Card winner in Major League Baseball this past summer, and they are also a Missouri resident. Across the state, we go through Columbia, where the Missouri Tigers are ranked 24th in the latest AP Top-25 college football poll, and on to St. Louis, the home of 11 World Series titles and one Stanley Cup.

For the last several years, Missouri residents have had to go out-of-state to place legal sports bets. Iowa, Illinois,  Kansas, and Arkansas have all had sports betting, and have all benefited from providing to Missourians what their home state didn’t. Now, that has changed, thanks to the passage of Amendment 2, which will legalize sports betting across the state.

Possible Legal Fight to Come

Amendment 2 allows the Missouri Gaming Commission to regulate “licensed sports betting, including online betting, gambling boats, professional sports betting districts, and mobile licenses to sports betting operators.”

The vote on November 5 passed by the narrowest of margins, with all precincts now reported and counted. With just 4,366 votes separating “Yes” from “No,” it is within the margin of error that can trigger a recount. But someone has to request it. Caesars owns three casinos in Missouri, and they were the main financial backer of the “no” campaign. But that opposition softened near the end of the fight. They would be the entity most likely to request a recount. But as a company that will also get to open a sportsbook in the state, that might not be in their best interest.

One of the other reasons that Caesars is unlikely to request a recount is that they would have to pay for it. The state of Missouri sends the recount bill to whomever makes the request.

First Bets Possible as Early as Summer 2025

Amendment 2 gives the state until December 1, 2025 to have the sports betting regulations in place and to have sports betting up and running. But the expectation is that things will move much faster than that, and betting may be live in Missouri by next summer. Taking bets before the MLB playoffs and before the NFL season begins is the goal of the commission.

Missouri Gaming Commission Chairwoman Jan Zimmerman laid out a possible timeline that would begin with regulations sent to the Governor’s office by January, approved by the MGC in February, and licenses given to app companies, casinos, and the six professional sports teams in the state by June. Then, after that, betting can begin.

The Kansas City Chiefs are the current betting favorite to win the Super Bowl, paying +400. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes is +750 to win his third MVP award. In baseball, the Kansas City Royals are +1800 to win the American League in 2025, and the St. Louis Cardinals are +3000 to win the National League. The St. Louis Blues are a distant +15000 to win the Stanley Cup in June.

Minnesota Sports Betting Not Dead Yet?

Minnesota lawmakers have been working for years to try and get a sports betting bill through the state legislature. The most recent attempt this year appeared to have momentum. But because of pushback from the state’s horse racing tracks, it failed.

Now, one of those racetracks, Running Aces Casino & Racetrack, is giving its support to a sports betting bill in the form of a message it sent to the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association:

“Based on numerous polls, 90% of Minnesotans support a sports betting bill that is beneficial for the horse industry, tribal communities and local charities, and we are hopeful that the gaming industry can come together at the Capitol to pass sports betting legislation. We stand ready to do what we believe is in the best interests of the horse racing industry, employees and shareholders, and provide out\r full support to a sports betting bill that accomplishes this goal.”

When the legislature meets in January, they will once again take on the issue of sports betting. But this time, with more optimism for passage. Sen Jeremy Miller (R-26) pledged his support and said, “There’s one thing that’s certain, it is time to pass a sports betting bill here in Minnesota.”