Missouri Sports Betting Market Launches With Celebrity Bets, Snow, Few Glitches

Missouri residents didn’t have much to bet on when legal mobile sports betting launched there at midnight on Monday, but a statewide rollout by eight operators throughout the day marked the first United States jurisdiction to launch online since North Carolina in 2024, and the 41st overall to introduce some form of regulated sports wagering.

While sportsbooks marked the debut with celebrity bets and small ceremonies at retail sportsbooks throughout the state, one Kansas City, Missouri sports bettor told InGame that the launch felt anti-climactic because online sports betting has been legal in neighboring Kansas since 2022. The same dynamic has been true on Missouri’s eastern border, as sports betting has been available in Illinois since 2020.

But for Missourians not within easy reach of an interstate and a bridge over a river, Monday was a landmark day.

Here’s a look at some of the happenings:

BetMGM: Per a press release from market-access partner Century Casinos, the BetMGM platform and the retail sportsbook at the Cape Girardeau location went live just after midnight Monday.

Caesars Sportsbook: The first bet placed on the platform was a five-leg NHL moneyline parlay, including the St. Louis Blues (-160) to beat the Anaheim Ducks Monday, in addition to picking the Philadelphia Flyers, New Jersey Devils, Winnipeg Jets, and Utah Mammoth to win. The bettor placed a $5 wager that will pay $66.86 if all the teams win. Caesars is also offering new customers the chance to get $150 in bonus bets if their first $5 bet wins, as well as the opportunity to enter a drawing for a VIP Super Bowl trip to any Missouri customer who places a $5 bet before Jan. 4. Caesars recently introduced its new universal wallet, and Missouri is the first state in which that was available on launch day.

Circa Sports: The company got one of two stand-alone mobile licenses and launched Monday. Circa is known for its high limits, relatively low hold, and extensive bet menu.

Fanatics Sportsbook: The platform launched just after midnight Monday and the first bet placed at the retail sportsbook at the Ameristar Casino Kansas City was $20 on DeMario Douglas for an anytime touchdown in the Sunday night game against the Houston Texans. Former Kansas City Royals outfielder Alex Gordon was set to make the ceremonial first bet at Ameristar at 4 p.m. local time Monday.

FanDuel: The first bet on the FanDuel platform was a $50 wager on the company’s Missouri Super Boost at +100 odds on one or more total points scored in Monday’s New York Jets at New England Patriots game. The company is offering $300 in bonus bets to new Missouri customers who bet $5 or more.

theScoreBet: Penn Entertainment’s latest sports betting platform went live online in Missouri and across the U.S. Monday, and the company announced that it is opening three brick-and-mortar locations at the Hollywood Casino & Hotel St. Louis, River City Casino Hotel St. Louis, and Argosy Casino Hotel Riverside Monday. Existing ESPN Bet customers were transitioned to theScoreBet overnight, and all account settings, existing wagers, and responsible gambling tools were available, the company announced via press release.

Everything smooth but the weather

Years worth of launches — and problems and fixes — in other jurisdictions appear to have worked out well, for the most part, for Missouri residents.

One customer attempting to use an existing BetMGM account on Monday had wait two hours, they told InGame, as their driver’s license was verified, but reported an otherwise reasonable experience. They spent more time, they said, shopping the many bonus offers available.

Retail sportsbooks, the bettor said, were not likely to have a good day with numerous road closures in the area due to a winter storm.

As with most gambling expansion, the topic of sports betting legalization has elicited a combination of excitement, derision, and ambivalence from residents. Some lamented the possible social ramifications and the impact on the state lottery.

They were unified in the hope — as has been the case in virtually every new jurisdiction — that the din of sportsbook ads would eventually subside.

Jill Dorson contributed to this report.