In Missouri, fans of Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs were unable to place a wager on Patrick Mahomes winning his second Vince Lombardi Trophy or second Super Bowl MVP award—which both occurred as the Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35.
Instead, bettors had to travel to one of eight neighboring states to make a legal bet, or forget it.
In fact, during the NFL’s 2022-2023 season, GeoComply blocked 8.7 million attempts by Missourians to access a legal online sportsbook in another state. Most of those failed attempts were by people physically located in Missouri trying to access a sportsbook platform in Kansas and Illinois.
Last year, the Missouri House passed two sports betting bills but Republican state Senator Denny Hoskins stopped their progress.
While Hoskins said he supported online and retail sportsbooks, he also wanted to legalize video gaming terminals and so-called skill games proliferating in restaurants, bars, convenience stores and truck stops. Hoskins filibustered the sports betting bill, leading to its demise for the fifth consecutive year.
This year, state Reps. Dan Houx and Phil Christofanelli have introduced bills to allow online and in-person sports betting. The bills would require bettors to be at least 21 years of age.
Sportsbook revenue would be taxed at 10 percent. Casinos would be permitted to open a retail sportsbook and have up to three online platforms or skins. Professional sports stadiums in the state also would be allowed to open a retail sportsbook and partner with a single online platform.
Analyses of the bills indicate the state could take in as much as $29.3 million in annual tax revenue, which would go to the state’s education fund. The Missouri Gaming Commission would oversee sports betting.
