Missouri Voters Approve Sports Betting in Narrow Win

By Matt Speakman,
Betting Expert at online-gambling.com

Matt Speakman Betting Expert at online-gambling.com

A die-hard fan of the Patriots, Matt Speakman is an expert on everything related to sports betting and DFS sites. Over the years, he has proven a valuable asset for our team at online-gambling.com. You can find Speakman's professional tips and tricks in any of his many articles on the website.

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Last updated: November 22, 2024

On November 5, 2024, Missouri residents voted to approve online and in-person sports betting in the state. This was an extremely narrow win, with 50.07% choosing in favor and 49.93% against Amendment 2. Nonetheless, Missouri has officially become the 39th US state to legalize sports betting, with the industry set to launch by December 2025.

How Missouri’s Sports Betting Market Will Operate

Now that Missouri voters decided on Amendment 2, the state’s sports betting market is planned to go live in December 2025. The Gaming Commission will be responsible for the regulation of the operators and to ensure compliance and a responsible gambling environment. Both in-person and online licenses will be issued to authorized entities.

Only licensed casinos and approved online operators will be able to apply for sports betting licenses. This will make sure that the market is controlled and limited to only vetted entities. The legal age requirement for sports betting in Missouri is 21 years old and proper identification will be asked from every potential gambler.

Betting Tax to Fund Education and Prevention Programs

Missouri has already planned to incorporate a 10% tax on sports betting revenues and use the generated amount to fund education and responsible gambling programs in the state. Education funding in particular has raised a lot of controversy, with many of the Amendment 2 opponents believing the claim is misleading and simply an attempt to convince voters to say “yes” to the new legislation.

We hope that this won’t be the case and that there will be significant benefits for the state and its residents. The Missouri Lottery has been in operation since January 1986, and according to its official website, it has contributed more than $8 billion to the state and its public education. According to Michelle Baumstark, the communications director for Columbia’s Public Schools, sports betting tax could work in a similar way:

“Those funds are then used in the operating budget for the school district,” Baumstark said to KCUR via email. “So…we aren’t receiving funds directly from the lottery, but rather indirectly via the state education funding streams.”

Amendment 5 Failed: No Gambling Boats on the Osage River

In contrast to the success of Amendment 2, Amendment 5 failed to get voters’ approval (52.4% voted “no” and 47.6% voted “yes”). This means that there won’t be a gambling riverboat on the Osage River near the Bagnell Dam at the Lake of the Ozarks. The state’s current cap of 13 licensed casinos remains unchanged.

What to Expect Going Further

The 2024 US elections opened the door to in-person and online sports betting in Missouri, but brands like DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM have yet to set up operations in the state. Hopefully, Missouri residents will benefit from education funding and gambling prevention programs from tax.

Other US states that have already launched their sports betting markets reap positives in the form of millions of dollars in tax revenue. Colorado, for example, voted to approve Proposition JJ removing the $29 million cap on tax money the state can keep from sports betting. The plan is to incorporate the extra amount in funding the Colorado Water Plan.