Online Sports Betting Launches In Missouri, Will Online Casinos Be Next?
By Drew Ellis in Online Casino
Published:
Missouri has officially launched online sports betting today.
It’s the start of a big new venture with Missouri sports betting now a full-go.
A lot of top online operators have kicked things off in The Show-Me State, which always begs the question – will online casinos soon make their way to Missouri?
Missouri Becomes 39th Sports Betting State
Starting Monday morning, online sports betting became an official thing in Missouri. It is the 39th state in the US to offer the product.
Eight different operators are available in Missouri. They are:
These operators are familiar with both forms of online gambling. Should Missouri make the switch over to legalizing online casinos, it would be an easy transition for most of these operators to add the product through their parent company.
Online Casino Expansion Dependent on Sports Betting Success
There are currently no plans to legalize online casinos in Missouri as of now.
There have been discussions and proposed legislation in the past, but it didn’t garner much traction. Bills were introduced that would legalize both iGaming and online sports betting, but lawmakers weren’t ready to try and regulate both industries at the same time.
The success of online sports betting will likely determine if/when online casinos eventually build up more steam in Missouri.
Online sports betting will provide added tax revenue for the state, but the tax revenue would be rather minimal compared to what online casinos can bring in. Should Missouri lawmakers like what this latest gambling expansion does for the state, it would likely open the door for online casinos to get more consideration.
Should the launch lead to minimal returns, or increases in gambling-related crime, that could turn lawmakers away from wanting to further expand gambling options in Missouri.
Missouri Online Casinos Not Available Anytime Soon
The state of Missouri will take its time assessing online sports betting before making any real moves to expand gambling in the state any further.
Even if Missouri makes a move on legalizing iGaming, it will take time to get the product launched. Online sports betting alone took 13 months to get launched after voters agreed to legalize the platform in November of 2024.
Looking at other online casino states, it takes around a year to go from legalization to launch.
With online sports betting just getting off to its start, don’t expect any real discussions on online casinos in Missouri until at least 2027. That means you shouldn’t expect any iGaming launch in the state until at least 2028.
Drew Ellis has decades of experience in media covering sports, gambling and general news. He has provided news coverage for online and retail casino developments across the US and around the globe.
