Missouri Sports Betting Launch to be Delayed

• Missouri’s proposed sports betting launch will be delayed
• The state will likely launch sports betting now in the fall instead of the early summer
• The Missouri Secretary of State rejected the gaming commission’s emergency sports betting rules

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Missouri’s proposed sports betting launch will officially have to wait until the fall.

The Missouri Gaming Commission’s proposed emergency sports betting rules and regulations were rejected last week by Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins.

During his time as a Missouri Senator, Hoskins was one of the key figures in the state to block sports betting legislation for several years.

Emergency Rules Rejected

Missouri Gaming Commission Chairman Jan M. Zimmerman today confirmed the emergency rules rejection to Sports Betting Dime. The rules will have to wait to go into effect (if approved) by Aug. 30, which will delay the state’s sports betting launch until sometime after.

Missouri statutorily must launch sports betting by Dec. 1, 2025.

The Missouri Gaming Commission delivered the proposed sports betting rules to the Missouri governor’s office several weeks ago. However, Hoskins determined after a review of the rules they did not meet the specific criteria for Missouri’s emergency rulemaking process and rejected the proposal.

Rachael Dunn, communications director for the Office of Missouri Secretary of State, told Sports Betting Dime that “no emergency basis was found” for the proposal.

“Emergency rules related to gaming were rejected. Rules will be going through the standard rulemaking process. The standard rulemaking process allows proposed rules to be effective prior to the deadline. No emergency basis was found,” she said in an email.

According to Missouri statute, an emergency rule may be proposed on the following condition:

“Finds that an immediate danger to the public health, safety or welfare requires emergency action or the rule is necessary to preserve a compelling governmental interest that requires an early effective date as permitted pursuant to this section.”

Historically, lawmakers have typically approved emergency rules for sports betting to allow a state to stay on track for a desired launch date.

Hoskins addressed the decision with Sports Betting Dime, noting the Secretary of State’s office will continue to collaborate with all involved stakeholders as it moves forward with the regular rulemaking procedures.

“According to Missouri State Statute 536.025, the emergency rulemaking process is reserved for situations that require immediate actions. After careful review, we determined that the situation does not meet these urgent criteria. We remain committed to ensure a transparent and thorough process for updating Missouri’s gaming regulations,” he said.

Early Summer Launch Now Delayed

Missouri sports betting was actually on track to launch much earlier than expected. In January, Zimmerman told Sports Betting Dime that the Show-Me State was hoping to launch sports betting in early summer after the process was moving along faster than anticipated.

The Missouri Gaming Commission, she previously said, is in the advantageous position of being able to survey rules and regulations that have worked in other states, to not be required to “reinvent the wheel” when it comes to launching their own program.

“The Missouri Gaming Commission is working feverishly to get the rules on the books,” Zimmerman told Sports Betting Dime.

Hoskins Has History With Sports Betting

Hoskins, a longtime Missouri Senator and now Missouri’s Secretary of State, has had an interesting history with sports betting legalization.

Since 2022, Hoskins successfully blocked and filibustered any and all attempts to legalize sports betting in the Senate for bills that did not include the legalization of video lottery terminals (VLTs).

Hoskins introduced several pieces of legislation hoping to approve both gaming markets, but when it became obvious there was limited support for VLTs, he successfully blocked several bills that only included sports betting.

It wasn’t until 2024 when a constitutional amendment to legalize sports betting was successfully petitioned by state sports franchises and placed on the November general election ballot. Voters narrowly approved the constitutional amendment, by less than 8,000 votes overall, to legalize sports betting.

Missouri Sports Betting Details

Under the sports betting legislation, each professional Missouri sports franchise and land-based casino will be eligible for one retail sports betting license and one online sports betting license each. Each individual team and casino will also be able to partner with up to one online sports betting operator.

In total, the state can see 19 retail sports betting licenses and 21 online sports betting licenses under this framework. The expectation is that the industry’s biggest names, such as FanDuel Missouri and DraftKings Missouri, will be among that 21.