Missouri Legislative Session Ends Without Sports Betting

• The Missouri legislative session ended with no legislation passed on sports betting.
• Now forced to wait until the 2023 legislative session, state-regulated sports betting in Missouri is years away.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – For the fourth straight year, Missouri’s legislative session came and went without any state-regulated sports betting initiatives getting passed. The legislative session ended on Friday and no action was ever made on the sports betting bills.

Lack Of Consensus Agreement Thanks To Missouri Casinos

The main reason that Missouri was not able to pass any legal sports betting legislation was the inability to find an agreeable middle ground between Missouri’s casinos and Missouri’s sports teams, professional organizations, and all the potential betting platforms.

We offered casinos 3 different bills on Sportsbook. The last offer was on 5/10/22 & all the pro sports teams (Chiefs,Royals,etc), pro player orgs (MLBPA,NFLPA), mobile platforms (Fan Duel,Draft Kings) agreed to the deal. Unfortunately, the casinos said NO & the bill died. #moleg

— Senator Denny Hoskins, CPA (@DLHoskins) May 12, 2022

Annual license fees were the cause of the hold-up, as the original $1.25 million dollar fee was too high for the casino’s liking. Many states charge a similar up-front fee, but the rate typically drops after the first year.

Other proposals were eventually made, but none of the compromised arrangements ever made it to the floor.

Where Does Missouri Sports Betting Stand Now?

Legal sports betting in Missouri was the end goal of multiple different bills, but Missouri lawmakers could never find a way to make it into a reality.

With the legislative session now over, anyone hoping for state-regulated sports betting in Missouri now has to wait until next year. Even if a bill were passed next year, it often takes over a year after the bill is passed before sports betting options are actually launched.

For now, Missouri sports bettors will likely continue to focus on internationally regulated online sportsbooks.

News tags: Missouri