Last day to submit Missouri on-site sports betting applications
Jazsmin Halliburton
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Friday is the last day for sports teams and casinos to send in applications to offer on-site betting to Missourians.
After all applications are submitted, the Missouri Gaming Commission will review them and allow for temporary licenses to those it chooses. This would allow suppliers to test their systems before the launch date.
In August, the Missouri Gaming Commission voted to give DraftKings and Circa Hospitality the state’s first two mobile sports betting licenses. However, those two platforms can not get those licenses until all sports teams and casinos that want on-site betting send in their applications by the end of the day Friday.
All licenses are expected to be issued in mid-to-late October, but Missourians will still have to wait until December to legally wager on sports. The state’s new gaming rules won’t take effect until the end of November, so Missourians will not be able to bet on sports until the official launch date on Dec. 1.
The Missouri Gaming Commission had to create pages of rules from scratch to prepare for the application process, coming up with the following criteria for applicants:
Expertise in online sports betting
Integrity, safety and sustainability of the platform
Past relevant experience
Advertising and promotional plans to increase and sustain revenue
Ability to generate, maximize and sustain revenue for Missouri
Commitment to and plans for promotion of responsible gaming
Capacity to increase the number of bettors on the platform
Missourians voted to have sports betting last November under Amendment 2. On the ballot, it stated that 10% of wagering tax revenue received would go toward public schools across the state. Missouri also must allocate at least $5 million in licensing fees and taxes to problem gambling programs in the state.