The Missouri Gaming Commission (MGC) has issued 39 temporary retail licenses for mobile sports betting.
The temporary licenses will allow operators to test their systems and equipment before sports betting officially launches in Missouri at the start of December.
The regulator’s Public Relations Coordinator, Elizabeth Hoffman, said: “They can make any of the necessary preparations that are needed before we launch sports wagering on December 1.”
In November last year, over 50% of Missouri voters approved Amendment 2 to make Missouri the 39th state in the United States to legalize sports betting.
Data from the American Gaming Association revealed gambling in Missouri had a $5 billion annual economic impact on the state by the end of 2024.
The MGC has given the green light to some of America’s biggest firms including bet35, BetMGM, Caesars, Fanatics, FanDuel, PENN Entertainment and Underdog.
DraftKings and Circa Sports were awarded the two available untethered operator licenses in August, with Circa beating out FanDuel in a surprising decision.
Some major names such as BetRivers and Hard Rock Bet are not believed to have applied for a license. The state’s sports betting law allows the MGC to hand out up to 19 retail sports betting licenses and up to 14 online sports betting licenses.
Some of St. Louis’ biggest sports franchise have already teamed up with operators. FanDuel joined forces with Major League Soccer side St. Louis City and Major League Baseball’s St. Louis Cardinals struck a partnership with bet365.
The licensees can now step up their preparations for the market launch later this winter and the MGC will issue formal permanent licenses within the next few weeks.
Successful sportsbooks will be able to start taking deposits from Missouri residents on November 17, provided accounts are established in compliance with the proposed regulations.
If and when they start laying bets from the start of December, they will be taxed at 10% of revenue.
Joe Lyons is a betting industry writer for GamblingIndustryNews with years of experience on reputable gambling websites. Joe specialises in long form content in the world of sports betting and gambling. Joe is recognised as an expert in sports fields such as horse racing, soccer, NFL and NBA.
