While no bets can currently be placed, sports betting in Missouri is gearing up for its December 1st launch, Gaming Commission Chairman Jan Zimmerman told Missourinet that temporary licenses will be granted ahead of the go-live date.
“We wanted to make sure that the suppliers who have the technology side of sports wagering make sure that their product works,” said Zimmerman. “And so those temporary licenses issued to those suppliers in advance of December 1st means that you know they already know, you know that it’s going to work when we go live.”
Zimmerman said one of the biggest hurdles has been writing the rules from the ground up.
“There are hundreds of pages of everything that will regulate sports wagering in the state of Missouri,” said Zimmerman. “The staff spent. I can’t even tell you how many hours, late nights and weekends and some holidays. They were holed up in our conference room, which they started calling the war room.”
With legalized sports betting set to begin in Missouri, the potential economic impact remains uncertain — and Zimmerman told Missourinet that predictions have been all over the map.
“The most reasonable number that I’ve heard has been probably 28 million,” said Zimmerman. “We’re coming in at kind of mid football season and I don’t think we’ll know anything probably for a year. You know to see exactly how that plays out. Pardon of the pun.”
Sports betting in Missouri comes nearly one year after voters approved it through a ballot initiative, which requires it to be fully operational by law by December 1st.
Tax revenue from gambling will go to Missouri public education and Missouri military veterans.
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