Now that Amendment 2 Has Passed, When Will Sports Betting Be Legal in Missouri?

Election Day has come and gone, and for many states across the country, that means a plethora of new laws and state constitutional amendments will be changing lives in ways big and small in the coming years. In some states, that means abortion rights or healthcare amendments. In others, it's all about marijuana or hunting and fishing rights. But not all of this year's election amendments were about health, life, or death. For some people, they were about a leisure activity like betting.

In Missouri, a new sports betting law was just barely passed by voters. But there are some questions floating around the internet as to what the law will mean and when it goes into effect. Here's when you'll be able to place bets on sports events in Missouri.

Sports betting has been illegal in Missouri since 2020, but a new amendment changes everything. Amendment 2 passed in Missouri by a narrow margin, with just 4,300 votes making the difference. That's far fewer people than attend a single Taylor Swift concert, for example. The law goes into effect 30 days after the election, so on Dec. 5, 2024.

But it could be a while before betting actually comes to fruition. Experts estimate a 6-9 month time frame for sports betting to actually begin, and the state has until Dec. 1, 2025, to put the system in place. Ryan Butler, the Senior Editor of Covers.com, a sports betting site, told Kansas City, Mo., news outlet KSDK-5 that online betting will likely start in 3-6 months, with in-person betting following shortly after that.

He explained, "Typically, it's a 6-9 month process. That process includes laboratory testing of the sports books. It includes checking personnel and employees. It includes coming up with a betting catalog, and what events you can't bet on, stuff like that."

The big question is, with such close margins, will there be a recount on Amendment 2? Butler believes it to be unlikely, and other experts concur.

Major opposition to the amendment came from major casinos like Caesars, which funded powerful anti-2 campaigns to try to keep betting in their wheelhouse rather than expand access and dilute their customer pool. But as part of the law's passing, Caesars will enjoy some new opportunities as well.

Butler said, "The opposition group that funded the 'no' campaign is Caesars, which owns three casinos in Missouri. They pulled out near the end of the race. Their financial investments in it slowed down. They would be the party most likely to stop this, but then again they’re expected to get a sportsbook.”

So if Caesars will benefit from the new law, a recount is vanishingly unlikely. This means that eager sports betters just have to wait a few months to reap the benefit of the new law and enjoy the state's new sports betting.