Missouri’s newly launched sports activities betting market generated intense early exercise in December 2025, producing greater than half a billion {dollars} in wagers throughout its first full month of authorized operation. Regardless of the excessive quantity of betting, the state collected solely a modest quantity in wagering taxes, as promotional incentives and different deductions outweighed operator income through the rollout interval.
Sports activities betting formally started statewide on December 1, 2025, following a slim voter approval of a constitutional modification in November 2024. The Missouri Gaming Fee’s first Sports activities Wagering Income Element Report gives an in depth image of how the market carried out throughout its opening month, capturing wagering quantity, payouts, deductions, and tax outcomes throughout licensed platforms.
Heavy Betting Quantity Defines the Opening Month
Between December 1 and December 31, bettors in Missouri wagered simply over $543 million on sporting occasions. Greater than 99% of that exercise occurred on-line, with cell sportsbooks dealing with roughly $538.9 million, whereas retail areas accounted for simply over $4 million. The report additionally signifies that the quantity of exercise included greater than 25 million particular person bets, underscoring the dimensions of early participation.
FanDuel emerged as the biggest cell sportsbook through the launch interval, recording roughly $212 million in wagers and controlling near 40% of the cell market. DraftKings adopted with roughly $195 million in bets. Amongst retail sportsbooks, Ameristar On line casino in St. Charles reported the very best deal with, at round $827,000.
The size of wagering surpassed some early expectations, significantly provided that the market opened late within the calendar yr and through a interval when many Missouri bettors had already been putting authorized bets throughout state strains in Kansas or Illinois.
Whereas betting exercise was sturdy, sportsbooks collectively reported a damaging taxable gross income for December. Operators paid out practically $438 million in winnings and spent greater than $125 million on promotional free-play bets and different buyer incentives. When further deductions reminiscent of voided or canceled wagers had been included, whole deductions reached roughly $564 million.
In consequence, sportsbooks reported a mixed damaging income of about $20.8 million for the month. With no optimistic web income to tax, Missouri collected simply $521,220 in sports activities wagering taxes, equal to far lower than one-tenth of 1 % of the overall quantity wagered.
The Missouri Gaming Fee additionally acquired practically $7.5 million from preliminary license charges tied to the issuance of 16 retail and on-line licenses. Two of these licenses went to online-only operators, whereas the remaining licenses had been related to casinos, sports activities venues, or skilled groups.
“The license-fee whole displays the truth that a majority of the licenses issued at launch are five-year licenses,” Mike Leara, the manager director of the gaming fee, stated in a information launch. “These figures additionally mirror a market in its early phases, together with the impression of serious promotional deductions which might be customary throughout preliminary rollout.”
Lawmakers Query Training Funding Expectations
The small tax return to the state has drawn criticism from some lawmakers, significantly given marketing campaign messaging that promoted sports activities betting as a funding supply for schooling. State Rep. Dirk Deaton described the early income figures as disappointing and stated the construction of the modification restricted the state’s skill to seize significant tax earnings.
“We’d as nicely have simply made them tax free at this level,” Deaton stated.
State Sen. Rusty Black additionally questioned how shortly schooling funding would materialize, noting that constitutional constraints stop lawmakers from simply adjusting the tax construction. “Sports activities gaming will in all probability present $100 million to schooling whole, so long as I don’t die within the subsequent 10 years,” Black stated.
Beneath the Missouri Structure, the primary $5 million in annual sports activities betting tax income is earmarked for the Compulsive Gaming Prevention Fund, with remaining funds designated primarily for public schooling. As a result of December’s tax consumption fell nicely under that threshold, no funds had been directed to varsities through the launch month.
Trade representatives and analysts have described the early outcomes as typical for a brand new market. Christopher Boan of BetMissouri.com stated, “This early efficiency exhibits that Missouri bettors had been looking forward to a regulated market. If engagement ranges maintain regular and operators proceed investing available in the market, Missouri shall be well-positioned to domesticate a thriving sports activities wagering ecosystem.”
Others cautioned towards anticipating sports activities betting to meaningfully alter state funds. “Sports activities betting isn’t going to be a panacea for Missouri’s price range,” Ryan Butler, senior editor for Covers, stated. “Even at its greatest, it’s only a small fraction of the general price range.”
