Miah Massaro | Sports Editor
Missouri has officially become the 39th state to legalize sports betting with the passage of Amendment 2, as the wave of legalized gambling continues to spread across the U.S.
Missouri voters narrowly approved the legalization of sports betting in Tuesday’s election, with Amendment 2 passing by just 50.1% to 49.9%, according to the Associated Press. The measure was decided by a margin of approximately 7,000 votes.
Prior to 2018, Nevada was the sole state where sports betting was legal. However, a pivotal U.S. Supreme Court ruling that year opened the door for more than half of U.S. states, along with Washington D.C., to legalize some form of sports betting. This expansion has fueled the growth of the American sports betting industry, which reached a record $10.92 billion in revenue in 2023, according to the American Gaming Association. Missouri was the only state with sports gambling on its ballot this election cycle and joins most of the country in legalizing the activity.
Bringing sports gambling to Missouri was backed by every professional sports team in the state. There was more than $40 million put into the lobbying campaign to make sports betting legal, and nearly all the funds came from FanDuel and DraftKings–the industry’s two biggest players.
Bill DeWitt III, President of the St. Louis Cardinals, made a statement on behalf of the campaign:
| “Missouri has some of the best sports fans in the world and they showed up big for their favorite teams on Election Day. On behalf of all six of Missouri’s professional sports franchises, we want to thank the Missouri voters who made their voices heard by approving Amendment 2. This historic vote makes Missouri the 39th state to legalize sports betting and ensures we no longer loses valuable tax revenue to our neighboring states. Most importantly, the passage of Amendment 2 means a new, dedicated, permanent funding stream for Missouri classrooms.”
Though the amendment passed, it will take a handful of months for a market launch. The Missouri Independent has revealed that the Missouri Gaming Commission will likely make sports betting available by December 1st of next year (2025). However, it’s likely that regulators will push to launch Missouri sports betting earlier than this date, as they will want to take advantage of the 2025 football season that begins much earlier.
It is also worth noting that in order to participate in sports gambling, you must be 21 years old or older. The bill will also allow betting on collegiate sports, but will prohibit collegiate player prop bets if the event involves a Missouri college team, and does not allow for daily fantasy sports.
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