Missouri Sports Betting Timeline is Likely Getting Pushed Back By 'Months'

Just before the Philadelphia Eagles smashed the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX, officials in The Show Me State seemed to believe the Missouri sports betting launch would happen by June 2025.

“We will be ready,” Mike Jerlecki, VP and General Manager of Hollywood and River City Casinos, told FOX 6 at the time. 

Well, so much for that.

Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins is rejecting the emergency sports betting rules recently filed by the Missouri Gaming Commission. The decision, according to multiple officials and experts, will likely push back the launch for sports betting in Missouri by months.

Make no mistake, this is far from a death knell. Amendment 2 stipulates sports betting in The Show Me State must launch no later than December 2025. There is only so long these delays can last. For now, anyway. 

“This decision does not impact the ongoing efforts to review and update the state’s gaming policies,” Hoskins says (via iGaming). “The Secretary of State’s office will continue to collaborate with stakeholders as it moves forward with the rulemaking procedure.”

Still, this isn’t exactly the type of start for which the Missouri Gaming Commission was hoping. The forecasted delay is not the end of the world, but it absolutely matters. Might it even portend a rocky road ahead as The Show Me State begins their sports betting era?

Why Missouri Sports Betting Regulators Filed Emergency Rule Changes

To be honest, the term “emergency” overstates this Missouri sports betting issue.

By law, the Missouri Gaming Commission must have a set of rules and regulations in place before they begin the process of adding online sports betting apps in the United States. This seems like their attempt to expedite that process. 

That makes sense when you consider the push for a June launch. The legalization of Missouri sports betting was only just finalized. Rolling it out in the span of four months is a tall order. These launches typically take waaaaay more time.

Granted, The Show Me State is an advantageous position. Thirty-eight other states, in addition to the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, have already launched sports betting services. They can accelerate their process organically simply by having so many other playbooks from which to study.

At the same time, Missouri sports betting regulation is still subject to bureaucratic red tape, as is the case with all new laws. Approvals of various processes take time. Some will argue they take too much time. (Because they do.) 

In reality, targeting a December 1 launch for Missouri sports betting is aggressive itself. That is barely one year from when the election results were finalized. Twelve months, of course, may seem like a lot. Especially when you’re not the first state to offer sports betting. But when you’re rewriting laws, creating new policies and setting up fresh regulatory infrastructures, it actually isn’t that extensive of a window.

Secretary of State Hoskins Explains Decision to Reject Emergency Rule Changes

Denny Hoskins offered the following explanation for his decision to reject Missouri sports betting emergency rule changes, per iGaming’s Jill R. Dorson:

“Saying that the situation does not warrant an ’emergency’ rulemaking designation,’ Hoskins told iGB that the ‘proposed emergency rules were intended to address specific aspects of gaming regulations. However, following a thorough review, it was concluded that the matter does not meet the criteria for emergency rulemaking according to Missouri law.’ Hoskins said the proposed emergency rules, which were sent to Governor Mike Kehoe [on January 27], could ‘proceed through the standard rulemaking process which includes the opportunity for public input.’ Missouri law reads that an emergency rule is only appropriate if there is ‘immediate danger to public health, safety, or welfare; or the rule is necessary to preserve a compelling governmental interest that requires an early effective date.’”

Many will immediately take Hoskins’ justification with a grain of salt. If you recall, during his time in the Missouri Senate, he filibustered against sports betting legalization. He was not outright against wagering, to be clear. But he kept pushing for the inclusion of video lottery terminals. 

This decision could technically be seen as unnecessary recourse for the path Missouri sports betting took to legalization. And, well, perhaps it is on some level. 

But the interpretation of what constitutes an emergency speaks for itself. There is no threat to public health, safety or welfare by not launching sports betting in June. And the regulatory process does not require expediency, it seems, if the state has until December 1 to get it wrapped up.

Sports Betting Launch in Missouri Facing Other Uncertainties

Establishing regulatory processes is not the only obstacle facing Missouri sports betting. They are apparently still trying to settle on the number of licenses, or sports betting skins, that will be given.

Initially, it appeared as if there would be 21 Missouri sports betting licenses—one not only for each operator, but each physical location for operators. However, this number is now in question. There is reportedly a chance that number could be lowered to 14.

At this time, it is not clear which interpretation will emerge as the prevailing one. But additional time haggling over this could be tacked onto the current delay. 

As such, it will be interesting to see if and when the Missouri Gaming Commission releases a new target date. It certainly no longer seems like Missouri will have sports betting before the 2025 NFL season. But will it be up and running for the start, in September, as many states attempt to do? Will these issues delay the launch until closer to the December 1 deadline? 

Missouri sports betting may be legalized, but it’s clear the state continues to face a ton of questions about its future.

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