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Missouri sports bettors who were hoping to place legal wagers this summer just got some bad, bad news. The state will NOT be going live with legal sports betting by that time as originally hoped for. The plan is still to launch in 2025, but at this point, you have to wonder whether Missouri will even get that part right.
Keep on reading and we’ll take you into the ongoing saga with Missouri’s sports betting scene. We say saga cause there’s a very deliberate holdup that has to be considered sabotage at this point. Keep reading and we’ll explain.
Why Missouri Delayed Sports Betting
Taking the heat, and rightfully so, for the delay is Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins. He rejected the emergency rules proposed by the Missouri Gaming Commission (MGC), which moved the go-live timeline until at least the Fall — hopefully in time for NFL betting.
You see, the MGC had planned to use emergency rulemaking to speed up the licensing and operational process, hoping to get sportsbooks up and running by June. The idea was to launch well ahead of the official December 1 deadline set by the ballot initiative voters approved back in November.
But here’s the problem: Missouri law only allows emergency rulemaking when there’s an “immediate danger” to public health, safety, or welfare, or when there’s a pressing government interest that justifies skipping the normal process. Hoskins didn’t think sports betting met those criteria so he shut the whole thing down.
Without emergency rules, Missouri now has to go through the normal rulemaking process. That includes a 30-day public comment period, regulatory reviews, and other bureaucratic steps that will slow things down significantly. Instead of being ready by summer, sports betting in Missouri is now expected to launch sometime in the fall.
Hoskins Has Been A Constant Thorn In Betting’s Side
If Denny Hoskins’ name sounds familiar, it’s because he has been at the center of Missouri’s sports betting debate for years.
Back when he was a state senator, Hoskins was one of the main reasons Missouri didn’t legalize sports betting sooner. He repeatedly stalled legislation, demanding that any sports betting bill also include legalizing video lottery terminals (VLTs). That led to years of failed bills and endless political fighting, while most of the country moved forward, legalized betting, and opened its doors to top mobile betting apps.
That’s why Missouri’s professional sports teams— like the St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Chiefs — decided to bypass the legislature and take the issue directly to voters. Remember, they formed a coalition to get enough signatures to vote on the issue. Their ballot initiative barely passed in November 2024 with just 50.05% of the vote (not a typo either, it was that razor close). But even after voters approved sports betting, Hoskins is still making things difficult by rejecting the emergency rules.
It’s a frustrating cycle. Missouri finally got over the finish line with legalization, but now bureaucratic delays are keeping the state from actually launching sports betting and benefiting from the revenue it could bring in.
How Much Money is Missouri Losing?
This delay isn’t just frustrating for eager sports bettors — it’s costing the state of Missouri real money. This added time and procedures (regulatory review and public comment) cost the taxpayer’s money.
Plus, it’s funneling sports betting money elsewhere. Illinois and Kansas sports betting is thriving — two states that border Missouri. If you’re a bettor near those borders, the easy thing to do is cross state lines and wager there. If not that, use an offshore sportsbook to place bets. Either way, that means hundreds of millions of dollars that could’ve been bet in Missouri around summertime are now going elsewhere — and the Show-Me State is losing on a cut of taxes they could’ve had.
Can Missouri Still Launch Sports Betting in 2025?
Let’s present two scenarios here for launching — the best and worst case. Starting with the former, they’d be up and running before the NFL regular season starts in September. Missing that deadline would be catastrophic since that’s when bettors are most active.
Let’s assume they do miss getting live by NFL season. What then? Per the original voting initiative, the state has a hard December 1 deadline. It can’t miss that and the MGC is there to make sure that doesn’t happen. It’s on MGC to move through the normal regulatory process, gather public feedback, finalize licensing rules, and all that jazz in time.
Missouri’s sports betting struggle is a perfect example of how slow and messy government processes can be. Even after voters clearly approved sports betting, political roadblocks are still keeping it from becoming a reality. Meanwhile, other states are cashing in, making millions off of an industry that Missouri is struggling to get off the ground.
We’ll be here the whole time to monitor the situation so make sure to check back often for updates. Sorry, Missouri bettors, but this saga is far, far from over.
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