Missouri is moving another step closer to live sports betting.
The sportsbook license application process opens the week of May 12, allowing operators to submit claims to serve as one of the Show Me State’s regulated online sports betting sites.
Missouri sportsbook applications available May 15
The Missouri Gaming Commission’s website states that sports betting applications will be available starting May 15.
“Our licensing rules are scheduled to become effective Aug. 30, so this interim period from May 15 to Aug. 30 will help ensure that the commission has time to properly review applications before decisions are made and temporary licenses are issued,” the MGC adds in its statement.
Missouri sports betting, via state Amendment 2, was narrowly approved by voters last fall. That amendment set a Dec. 1, 2025 deadline for sports wagering to go live.
The MGC attempted to jump-start the application and licensing process early this year, but its emergency fast-track request was denied in February by Sec. of State Denny Hoskins.
As a result, the state’s official licensing rules won’t officially take effect until Aug. 30, giving the state up to three months for the application review and public comment period.
Bet365, ESPN Bet are first operators to announce Mo. plans
Missouri’s 19 retail sports betting licenses — one for each of the state’s 13 riverboat/riverbank casinos and its six professional sports franchises — and the additional online licenses will be issued simultaneously.
That timeline isn’t going to allow for live Missouri sports betting to be in place for the start of the college football (Aug. 23) or NFL (Sept. 4) seasons.
Instead, expect a fall launch that should easily beat the Dec. 1 go-live deadline.
Bet365 Sportsbook and Major League Baseball’s St. Louis Cardinals announced the Show Me State’s first sports betting partnership agreement in late March.
And PENN Entertainment said during a May 8 earnings call that it expects launch its ESPN Bet mobile app in Missouri this fall.
Also expect Missouri agreement/partnership announcements from U.S. sports betting industry heavyweights such as FanDuel, DraftKings and BetMGM in the coming months as well.