Sports Betting unlikely to be legalized in Missouri prior to 2023

Advocates of introducing a legalized sportsbook marketplace to Missouri were dealt another blow this week, as it emerged the state’s Republican Party governor, Mike Parson, will not include the subject in his special legislative session itinerary. Any sports betting bills filed will now likely be heard next year, as Missouri’s normal Senate routine resumes.

Parson specifically called this ‘extraordinary session’ to address the possibility of income tax reductions for local residents and has been clear that any efforts to progress sports betting discussions must be parked as a consequence. Indeed, in a statement to the St. Louis dispatch, a government spokeswoman confirmed the governor’s intentions, ‘’Sports betting is clearly beyond the call and does not relate to Governor Parson’s topics in the call. I do not anticipate sports betting being a part of the special session’’.

Party colleague Dan Houx had lodged another sports wagering proposal prior to the session commencing, in a bid to re-invigorate attempts to facilitate sportsbooks in the Show-Me State. His bill reflected a piece of legislation which had gained some traction earlier this year, with its directives for establishing both retail and mobile sports betting earning considerable support, and subsequently passing through the House of Representatives. Unfortunately, however, the proposal failed to progress beyond the Senate.

Nevertheless, the apparent appetite of Missourians to engage in betting activity hasn’t wavered, with the launch of Kansas’ legalized market triggering an unprecedented response from locals. Gambling monitoring software, GeoComply, registered 16,000 attempts to place Sports bets in Kansas from geographical locations within Missouri, with 60% of these blocked transactions materialising in Kansas City, a unique urban area which bridges the two states.