JEFFERSON CITY — Sports betting will officially launch in Missouri on Dec. 1, the Missouri Gaming Commission confirmed.
The announcement means fans in Missouri eager to legally place wagers will have to wait until after much of the 2025 sports calendar has passed.
The launch date comes just two days after Mizzou football wraps its regular season and nearly three months into the NFL season, which begins Sept. 4. It also arrives after the entire 2025 MLB season.
The Dec. 1 launch will allow bettors to participate in NFL playoff wagering and the College Football Playoff.
MGC Chairman Jan Zimmerman said the commission initially sought an earlier launch through emergency rulemaking but was blocked by Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, a longtime sports betting opponent during his legislative tenure.
“We had asked, or the MGC had asked, that those rules be considered an emergency and that was denied,” Zimmerman said. “So we’re just going about it as we would on any rule change.”
The delay has frustrated many local sports fans.
“We’re missing the entirety of the MLB season and probably half of the football season,” sports fan JP Gaal said.
“I’m not a big sports bettor, but I know a lot of people who are really sad because they were really excited about it,” added Will Hibbard, another fan.
MGC is now accepting license applications from casinos and mobile betting apps not affiliated with professional sports teams. The application deadline for these groups is set for July 15.
Zimmerman emphasized that the commission still needs ample time to properly review applications, which include thorough financial and criminal background checks.
“It’s a pretty involved process,” she said. “We require a lot of information that is connected to those applications.”
Under the Missouri Constitution, sports betting must be fully operational by Dec. 1, and Zimmerman made it clear there’s no chance the rollout could happen sooner.
“They’ve looked at the math every way they know how and just don’t see how it’s possible,” she said.
A 10% tax will be applied to sports betting revenue, with the funds allocated to education, compulsive gaming prevention and operating expenses overseeing the new industry.
