Missouri Sports Betting Launch Continues With Quiet Public Comment Session

No prospective Missouri sportsbook candidates nor state homeowners spoke at a sportsbook rulemaking public hearing Thursday, continuing momentum for its set up Dec. 1 launch.


- Missouri's sports betting launch stays on track for Dec. 1, as no objections were raised throughout a current public hearing on proposed sportsbook guidelines.
- FanDuel, DraftKings, and Circa are contending for 2 untethered licenses, while other books like Bet365, BetMGM, and ESPN BET pursue tethered access.
- Final rules are anticipated by Sept. 30, with license announcements for untethered sportsbooks set for Aug. 15 and tethered licensees after Sept. 12.


Missouri, like the other 30 states that authorized legal mobile sports betting, requires state regulators to promulgate guidelines before licensing sportsbooks and accepting bets. These regulations cover a host of issues not covered in enacting legislation, including sportsbook licensing requirements, financial reporting and sporting events betting eligibility.


A 2024 voter-backed constitutional change that approved sports betting needs books to go live by Dec. 1, indicating a public guidelines objection would not have a direct effect on the state's regulative procedure. But a quiet public hearing Thursday indicated Missouri residents - and the industry - aren't speaking out versus the state's proposed sports betting guidelines and are moving toward the December launch.


When state legislators declined efforts to legislate online sports betting in multiple legislative sessions, DraftKings and FanDuel partnered with the state's major professional sports teams to put a constitutional change on the 2024 ballot. After getting just enough signatures to put the step on the ballot, and surviving a late legal challenge, voters directly approved sports betting this past November.


The Gaming Commission (MGC), tasked with enacting the ensuing guidelines for legal sportsbooks, initially intended to have actually regulations approved in time for a June 30 launch. The MGC pressed for emergency situation guidelines to accelerate the regulative approval process, arguing the state was losing millions in tax income to overseas and uncontrolled operators.


That was warded off after Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, who prevented sports wagering legislation while a state senator, determined the commission's guidelines didn't meet "emergency situation" basic requirements, pushing the launch back to Dec. 1.


" ... there is no legitimate reason for bypassing the basic rulemaking procedure, which is developed to provide the public the possibility to weigh in on choices that impact them," Hoskins wrote in a letter earlier this year addressing his rejection of the proposed emergency rules.


The proposals now head to the legislature's Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, a group of legislators that weigh in on the state's proposed guidelines. Should the committee advance the MGC's proposal, the state can finalize long-term rules by Sept. 30, offering the MGC two months to examine and approve potential sportsbook licenses under those criteria.


Members of the general public and market stakeholders have additional chances for comment ahead of the rules finalization.


Missouri sportsbook candidates


Six sportsbooks revealed their intentions to launch in Missouri. Another half lots could go live on Dec. 1.


FanDuel, DraftKings and Circa got one of 2 untethered licenses the ballot measure produced. The two untethered licensees won't have to partner with a Missouri pro sports team or gambling establishment, potentially conserving the operator countless dollars in yearly market access agreement payments.


Statutory requirements for the 2 untethered licenses consist of marketing spending commitments and revenue generation prospective, which would prefer FanDuel and DraftKings. The duo spent billions on player acquisition expenses considering that 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 campaign.


The MGC will reveal the two untethered licensees Aug. 15. It'll expose the connected licensees at some point after its Sept. 12 application due date.


Sportsbooks that have requested Missouri licenses and/or announced market gain access to offers:


bet365.
BetMGM.
Circa.
DraftKings.
FanDuel.
Underdog


Other likely/potential sportsbooks *:


Bally Bet.
BetRivers.
Caesars.
ESPN BET.
Fanatics.
Hard Rock


* Not an extensive list


Should Circa not win an untethered license, it might still partner with one of the state's eligible professional sports teams or gambling establishment operators.


Bet365 has a handle MLB's St. Louis Cardinals and BetMGM secured market access through Century Casinos. ESPN BET (PENN Entertainment), Bally Bet (Bally's) and Caesars currently have market gain access to through affiliations with their respective moms and dad companies operating Missouri casinos.


Underdog already used for a mobile sports wagering license, though it hasn't publicly revealed a market gain access to offer. Fanatics, BetRivers and Acid rock highlight a group of extra potential licensees.