Missouri Preparing for Announcement of Untethered Sportsbooks

Missouri is gearing up for a December launch of its mobile sportsbook industry. All but two licensees must be tethered to either a Missouri casino or a professional sports franchise in the state. However, an early deadline is being held for two sportsbooks that do not have to align with either or pay the cost of doing so.

Early Announcement for Untethered Sportsbooks

The Missouri Gaming Commission (MGC) has been soliciting public comments, which end on July 16th, followed by an open meeting with the public the following day. The MGC is putting together rules and regulations for its upcoming industry, which is expected to launch on December 1, 2025.

Timeline and Licensing Details

However, two untethered sportsbooks’ licenses will be awarded on August 15th, while the tethered licenses will be announced on September 12th. Untethered licenses permit the sportsbook to enter without striking agreements with any of the casinos or sports franchises in the state, which means no partnership money out of pocket for that expense.

The favorites for the untethered licenses are FanDuel and DraftKings, the two largest mobile sportsbooks in the nation that both shelled out millions of dollars for the political action committee that collected enough signatures to get the referendum on the ballot. Voters in Missouri narrowly approved sports betting last November, and many believe it was due to the Winning for Education campaign.

Licensing rules are expected to be created by the MGC in between the dates of when the tethered and untethered licenses are granted.

“August 30th is the date for the licensing rules to become effective, but after that, there is still a process for review and background of applicants before licenses can be issued and sports wagering can go live,” the spokesperson said. “The launch date will be Dec. 1st.”

Launch Delayed

The optimistic deadline for a mobile and retail sports betting launch was in June, but the newly elected Secretary of State, Denny Hoskins, a proponent of the legalization of video lottery terminals (VLTs) as a state senator, refused to rule in favor of an early launch, stating it did not qualify as an emergency.

Political Roadblock

Hoskins stated afterward, “The standard rulemaking process is more than capable of achieving the desired outcome within the necessary time frame. In fact, under the proper procedure, the proposed rules could be effective by Sept. 30, 2025, well ahead of the December 1 deadline. This confirms that there is no legitimate justification for bypassing the standard rulemaking process, which is designed to give the public the chance to weigh in on decisions that affect them.”

His decision has cost the sportsbooks and the state money, as both will be missing out on a large portion of the most popular betting season, NFL and college football. But it wasn’t surprising considering his efforts to establish VLTs as a licensed enterprise in the Show Me State were continually thwarted by his colleagues, which caused him to be an intractable force in the legislature for getting sports betting legalized.

His quid-pro-quo stance created a logjam in the legislature, forcing sports franchises, led by the Cardinals’ Bill DeWitt III, to circumvent the legislature and campaign for the voters to decide. Many argue he is using his most recent position as Secretary of State to exact his revenge one final time.

Sportsbooks like bet365 have already hitched their wagon to a professional sports team. In this case, the European bookmaker has struck an agreement with the St. Louis Cardinals that will allow them access to advertising in the stadium and through the team’s digital media platforms.