Missouri online sports betting still remains unregulated and not permitted despite other states jumping at the PASPA repeal.
In fact, there has never been any significant discussion tabled to legalize the Missouri online sports betting industry up until 2018. Does this mean that you can look forward to betting legally soon in Jefferson City? This page has all the answers!
Overview of Missouri Online Sports Betting
As of 2019, the only place that you can gamble or engage in MO sports betting is at any one of the riverboat casinos. These legalized ‘Missouri Sportsbook’ centers are also home to a number of regulated poker tournaments and casino games in MO. Within the state of Missouri, there’s not a single racetrack available. However, it’s legal to engage in pari-mutuel MO horse betting at the county fairs.
Like the majority of the other US states, the state of Missouri has a well-established lottery. The lottery is fully legal and operated by the state like the Michigan Lottery or the PA lottery. The proceeds from the lottery are usually for good causes within the state. This includes donating some of the cash to charity. It’s also worth mentioning that raffles and bingo are also legal in the state.
MO Sports Betting Is Illegal
Despite legalizing Riverboat casinos, the Missouri Lottery, Bingo, and Raffles, Jefferson City has a longstanding tradition of banning gambling. As you will see in the timeline below, there wasn’t much progress as far as debating the legalization of MO sports betting or casino gaming in the state. There has been strong resistance to loosening some of the legislative restrictions on gambling in the state. However, the change that’s sweeping across the online sports betting industry will probably inspire the state of Missouri to consider legalizing Missouri sportsbook sites.
In fact, we can say that the change in other states has even forced the legislative body to start considering ASAP. Towards the end of 2018, a bill was introduced to be discussed in the 2019 legislative session. All that most of the sports bettors would hope for is for it to pass as soon as possible. This will not only save them the hassle of having to travel to neighboring states. It will also protect them from accessing some of the illegal offshore sportsbooks operating in the state.
Significant Milestones In Missouri Gambling Laws
· 2018: For the first time in the history of Missouri gambling, the lawmakers in the Jefferson state introduce a sports betting bill. The bill is meant to be discussed broadly in the 2019 session, with the majority of legislators considering to legalize Missouri sportsbook sites
· 2016: A law passes legalizing Daily Fantasy betting. DFS aficionados in Missouri can choose from three of the popular DFS sites in the US; DraftKings, FanDuel and FantasyDraft
· 2008: There’s a referendum in Missouri, which is aimed at forcing the Riverboat casinos to pay more taxes and abolish the $500 player loss limit. It doesn’t get the overwhelming support that most pundits expected but passes nonetheless with just over half the votes casted
· 1994: The Missouri Games Commission launches a Charitable Games Division within itself. The main aim of this is to control and regulate all charity gambling events within the state
· 1993: The Missouri Games Commission officially launches
· 1992: A law passes to allow all the Riverboat casinos to fully operate, though they operate under very strict laws. For instance, they should remain docked. Also, the player at the Riverboat casino should incur more than $500 in losses.
· 1985: A law passes to approve the operation of the Lottery in the state. The state controls the Lottery.
· 1980: Legalization of charity bingo games in Missouri
Missouri Daily Fantasy Sports
Despite not being among the first states to legalize DFS, Missouri allows for the activities involving DFS. A law passed to allow anyone who’s attained the legal age of 21 years old, living within the state’s borders to engage in DFS. This means that players can visit DraftKings, FanDuel or FantasyDraft and have a share of their fun engaging in the sports.
Conclusion
Progress is being made towards legalizing Missouri Online Sports Betting. Despite the bill not getting the attention that most people were hoping it would in 2019, we hope that going to 2020 we shall have had a conclusive and clear direction on the way forward. At the moment, we just have to sit back and watch how things progress.
