No possible Missouri sportsbook applicants nor state locals spoke at a sportsbook rulemaking public hearing Thursday, continuing momentum for its scheduled Dec. 1 launch.

- Missouri's sports betting launch stays on track for Dec. 1, as no objections were raised during a recent public hearing on proposed sportsbook policies.
- FanDuel, DraftKings, and Circa are competing for two untethered licenses, while other books like Bet365, BetMGM, and ESPN BET pursue connected gain access to.
- Final guidelines are anticipated by Sept. 30, with license statements for untethered sportsbooks set for Aug. 15 and tethered licensees after Sept. 12.

Missouri, like the other 30 states that approved legal mobile sports wagering, needs state regulators to promulgate rules before licensing sportsbooks and accepting bets. These policies cover a host of concerns not covered in enacting legislation, including sportsbook licensing requirements, financial reporting and sporting occasions betting eligibility.

A 2024 voter-backed constitutional change that approved sports wagering needs books to go live by Dec. 1, meaning a public rules objection would not have a direct impact on the state's regulative process. But a quiet public hearing Thursday showed Missouri homeowners - and the industry - aren't speaking out against the state's proposed sports wagering guidelines and are approaching the December launch.

When state lawmakers declined efforts to legislate online sports wagering in numerous legislative sessions, DraftKings and FanDuel partnered with the state's major professional sports teams to position a constitutional amendment on the 2024 ballot. After getting simply enough signatures to put the procedure on the ballot, and making it through a late legal obstacle, voters narrowly authorized sports wagering this past November.

The Missouri Gaming Commission (MGC), charged with enacting the occurring rules for legal sportsbooks, originally hoped to have regulations approved in time for a June 30 launch. The MGC promoted emergency regulations to speed up the regulative approval process, arguing the state was losing millions in tax earnings to offshore and unregulated operators.

That was warded off after Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, who prevented sports betting legislation while a state senator, figured out the commission's guidelines didn't meet "emergency" standard requirements, pressing the launch back to Dec. 1.

" ... there is no legitimate validation for bypassing the standard rulemaking process, which is designed to give the general public the opportunity to weigh in on choices that impact them," Hoskins composed in a letter earlier this year addressing his rejection of the proposed emergency guidelines.

The proposals now head to the legislature's Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, a group of legislators that weigh in on the state's proposed guidelines. Should the committee advance the MGC's proposal, the state can finalize irreversible rules by Sept. 30, giving the MGC two months to evaluate and approve prospective sportsbook licenses under those specifications.

Members of the public and market stakeholders have extra opportunities for comment ahead of the rules finalization.

Missouri sportsbook applicants

Six sportsbooks announced their intents to introduce in Missouri. Another half dozen could go survive on Dec. 1.

FanDuel, DraftKings and Circa requested one of two untethered licenses the tally measure created. The 2 untethered licensees will not need to partner with a Missouri pro sports group or gambling establishment, potentially saving the operator countless dollars in annual market access contract payments.

Statutory requirements for the 2 untethered licenses consist of promotional costs commitments and earnings generation possible, which would prefer FanDuel and DraftKings. The duo invested billions on gamer acquisition expenses since 2018 and integrated accept more than two-thirds of all legal online U.S. sports bets.

FanDuel and DraftKings each contributed more than $40 million to the tally measure approval project.

The MGC will reveal the 2 untethered licensees Aug. 15. It'll reveal the tethered licensees sometime after its Sept. 12 application due date.

Sportsbooks that have looked for Missouri licenses and/or announced market gain access to deals:

bet365.
BetMGM.
Circa.
DraftKings.
FanDuel.
Underdog

Other likely/potential sportsbooks *:

Bally Bet.
BetRivers.
Caesars.
ESPN BET.
Fanatics.
Acid rock

* Not an extensive list

Should Circa not win an untethered license, it might still partner with one of the state's qualified professional sports teams or gambling establishment operators.

Bet365 has a handle MLB's St. Louis Cardinals and BetMGM secured market access through Century Casinos. ESPN BET (PENN Entertainment), Bally Bet (Bally's) and Caesars currently have market access through associations with their particular parent companies running Missouri casinos.

Underdog currently made an application for a mobile sports wagering license, though it hasn't publicly revealed a market access offer. Fanatics, BetRivers and Acid rock highlight a group of extra prospective licensees.