Missouri residents and visitors currently do not have betting on sports as a legal option, however, that could all change soon.
Eventually, Missouri is looking increasingly likely to legalize sports betting. Two sports betting bills appeared within a month of-one-another during 2018. Firstly in January 2018, Bill SB 767 was introduced and later, SB 1013. Both legislative documents were contingent on the federal law changing to allow sports betting, which it did.
The bills covered-off on the feasibility of introducing sports betting to the state’s land-based casinos, online sports betting and the level of sports betting taxes. The taxes (termed an ‘integrity’ fee – 1% applied to the total betting action and paid back to the pro sports leagues) are the most controversial and may require some debate and negotiation to pass the State Legislature.
The 1% in real-everyday-terms is more like a 20% tax on casinos and would make sportsbooks untenable. Watch-this-space for an outcome of the State debate on the administration of sports betting in Missouri as the matter is expected to be debated soon in the State Legislature.
Updates to those twin bills came in 2019, firstly with SB 44 proposing the controversial integrity fee dropped to only 0.5%, however along with it a debilitating tax of 12% for operators. However, the latest and most likely to succeed (or something like) it is SB 222 which allows for no integrity fee at all and a tax rate of a more realistic 6.75%.
The economic downturn related to the global pandemic may yet push legal sports betting over the line in 2021 for Missouri. Three separate sports betting bills, SB 18, SB 217 and SB 256 are set for debate in the Missouri Senate in 2021, with all 3 squarely aimed at repairing the state’s budget hole.
Watch this space for an outcome of the Missouri State debate on the administration of sports betting and most of all, how the state’s lawmakers will eventually make sports wagering fair and equitable of all stakeholders in Missouri – operators and players alike.