The Legalization of Missouri Sports Betting is Now Official After Much Drama

After weeks of uncertainty following the 2024 election cycle, we can finally say it: Missouri sports is officially legalized.

State officials on Thursday, December 5, confirmed that Amendment 2, the initiative that legalizes sports betting in Missouri has passed by the narrowest of margins. So small was the gap, in fact, that we could technically still see a recount. 

For the time being, though, The Show-Me State is on track to launch sports gambling operations within the next year. Why not sooner? And could Amendment 2 still face a recount? Let’s break down all the details we need to know.

Missouri Sports Betting Measure Passes with Barely 50 Percent of the Popular Vote

Support for Amendment 2 was considered robust leading into the elections. However, the results prove this was not the case. As Summer Ballentine and David A. Lieb report for the Associated Press, the latest Missouri sports betting initiative came incredibly close to failing:

“State election officials on Thursday certified that the sports betting measure passed with 50.05 percent support in the November election. Although the constitutional amendment takes effect now, betting won’t begin immediately. State regulators first must draft rules and take applications from sportsbooks.”

A .05 percent margin of victory is actually bonkers. We are talking about a matter of a few thousand votes. And that is nothing in the grand scheme of Missouri. 

The Show-Me State has a population of nearly 6.2 million. So even if this is a difference of 10,000 votes, it remains infinitesimal on a macro scale. In turn, this teensy-tiny margin of victory also raises an important question…

Will Amendment 2 Face a Recount?

Given the small margin of victory, the passage of Amendment 2 is eligible for a recount. With that said, Missouri sports betting is expected to go unchallenged following the results. As Ballentine and Lieb write:

“Missouri allows recounts on ballot questions to be requested within seven days after certification when the winning margin is less than 0.5% of the total votes cast. A spokesperson for Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft said Thursday that a recount request would need to come from someone involved in one of the campaigns. A spokesperson for the opposition group, Missourians Against the Deceptive Online Gambling Amendment, said Thursday that it does not plan to request a recount.”

It is not immediately clear why the primary opponents of Missouri sports betting won’t be pursuing a recount. Perhaps they have to fund it themselves and would rather not bankroll the process. Throughout history, recounts seldom overturn initial results. That may be a factor as well.

In truth, Missourians Against the Deceptive Online Gambling Amendment may just not want to try delaying the inevitable. The rise of online sports betting in the United States remains profuse. Without counting Missouri, 38 states as well as the District of Columbia offer some form of legal sports gambling. If The Show Me State did not approve the measure this time, it would likely reverse course at some point over the next few years.

Granted, Amendment 2 is not technically out of the woods just yet. Opponents will have until December 12 to request a recount. While the Missourians Against the Deceptive Online Gambling Amendment coalition will not go this route, another counter campaigner might. Still, given all the current reporting, it would be surprising to see a recount.

When Will Missouri Launch Legal Sports Gambling Operations?

Sports bettors in Missouri are no doubt chomping at the bit to start placing wagers. As we already noted, however, they will have some time before they can do so.

According to the language in Amendment 2, The Show Me State has until December 2025 to launch their operations. Officials continue to emphasize how in-depth the preparation process remains. Missouri will be able to crib elements of online sports betting regulation from many other states that have already launched it. This can help expedite the process. But in a mid-tier market like Missouri, it will take some time to sift through all the applications from online sportsbooks in the USA.

On the bright side, The Show Me State has every incentive to launch wagering long before December 2025. Ideally, they would capitalize on the peak of online NFL betting. Action on football crescendos in January and February, with the start of NFL playoffs betting as well as betting on the Super Bowl. 

And yet, we are only a few weeks out from that part of the calendar. There is no way Missouri sports betting will be up in time for those events. Beyond that, then, August 2025 is likely to be the target date. The NFL preseason begins during that stretch, which is also when NFL futures betting hits its pinnacle. Launching in August 2025 also gives Missouri plenty of time to work out any bugs in the process before the start of the regular season. Though the 2025 NFL schedule will not be released for a few months, Week 1 action typically kicks off on the first or second weekend of September. 

To reiterate: We are speculating here. Delays can happen. But other states have feverishly pushed to launch sports betting in advance of the next NFL regular season. We expect Missouri to do the same.

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