Missouri sports betting launch deals 250,000 active accounts in first 24 hours

Charlotte Capewell

3 December 2025 at 7:09am UTC-5

Source: Shutterstock

Email, LinkedIn, and more

Data compiled by GeoComply has revealed that on the first day of Missouri’s sports betting launch, the company recorded more than 250,000 active accounts.

Other highlights from the December 1 launch include over 2.6 million geolocation checks being recorded in the first 24 hours, as well as the creation of nearly 188,000 accounts registered between November 17 and November 30.

Article continues below ad

A localized map of Missouri, provided by GeoComply, also revealed that the majority of geolocation activity centered around Kansas City and St. Louis.

Kip Levin, Chief Executive at GeoComply, said, “Missouri has shown for years that it’s one of the most eager states in the country for legal sports betting. What we’ve seen in the first 24 hours is remarkable. Tens of thousands of Missourians immediately joined safe, regulated platforms the moment they became legal. It’s a powerful reminder of how quickly consumers embrace a well-regulated market when the option finally exists.”

In a statement, GeoComply added that this was only an “early look” at Missouri’s new regulated market and that it would release a more detailed report in the coming weeks. The updated report will also include an analysis of the Kansas City Chiefs’ home game, scheduled for December 7. Missouri’s sports betting market debuted on December 1, with eight sportsbooks, including DraftKings, FanDuel, and theScoreBet, after Underdog pulled out its application, citing a focus on prediction markets.

Charlotte Capewell brings her passion for storytelling and expertise in writing, researching, and the gambling industry to every article she writes. Her specialties include the US gambling industry, regulator legislation, igaming, and more.

View Charlotte Capewell's bio and articles.

Locations:

Verticals:

Sports Betting

Sectors:

Topics:

Dig Deeper

The Backstory

Setting the stage for a swift debut

Missouri’s burst out of the gate on Dec. 1 did not happen by accident. Months of licensing steps, supplier onboarding and team partnerships primed customers and operators for a clean launch. By midyear, operators were lining up for market access as the Missouri Gaming Commission set the framework and calendar for go-live. Fanatics Sportsbook joined a growing queue in the summer, becoming the fifth operator to seek approval as regulators prepared to switch on the market on Dec. 1. The regulator outlined a path for up to 19 retail and 14 online licenses and scheduled formal presentations for untethered online bids in August, laying down a structure that helped vendors and books calibrate rollout plans. That early demand, detailed when Fanatics became the latest to apply for a Missouri sports betting license, signaled pent-up supply ready to meet consumer interest.

Missouri’s process also pulled in the backbone tech providers that would be crucial for launch-day performance. Suppliers including Catalist, Gaming Labs International, GeoComply, OpticOdds and Sportradar sought approvals alongside operators, according to the state’s docket described in the same filing period. That alignment mattered for a market expected to scale quickly across both metro hubs and smaller communities. A clear licensing cadence and public comment window gave operators and vendors time to tune systems for compliance, testing and identity checks before customer onboarding began in earnest in November.

The payoff became visible immediately. Within hours of go-live, the market handled heavy traffic with millions of geolocation pings and sign-ups across the state’s largest population centers. The logistical backbone—compliance tech, risk engines and payments—had to run without visible friction for customers to move from interest to wagers. With suppliers in place ahead of time, the first-day rush translated into active accounts without the outages or verification choke points that have marred some earlier state launches elsewhere.

Missouri’s decision to allow a mix of retail and online access, including limited untethered online licenses, also helped broaden coverage and competition on day one. The regulatory structure, previewed as applications rolled in through the summer, was designed to balance access with compliance and positioned major national brands to compete statewide from the start.

The result: a market that felt “open for business” immediately, converting curiosity into activity and setting an early benchmark for engagement in a new jurisdiction.

Team tie-ups primed fan engagement

Local sports partnerships amplified awareness in the run-up to launch. Months before the first legal wager, Underdog deepened its relationship with the St. Louis Blues, securing multiyear marketing rights that included in-arena visibility, broadcast presence and live activations. The alliance—initially rooted in fantasy sports—was tailored to meet fans where they already congregate and to smooth the pathway from fantasy formats to regulated betting once legal. That was outlined when Underdog extended its St. Louis Blues partnership ahead of Missouri’s launch.

These arrangements matter in a state with intense loyalty to NHL, MLB and NFL franchises. By threading brand exposure through the stadium experience and team media, operators converted passive interest into account registrations that began in mid-November. The approach also aligned with the state’s goal of steering consumers toward regulated operators and away from illegal sites that have long siphoned demand.

Even for operators adjusting their market-entry timing, early marketing helped condition audiences. Missouri fans saw promos, app education and responsible gambling messaging before launch day. That pre-education often translates to faster KYC pass rates and fewer abandoned sign-ups once betting is live.

The Blues tie-up underscored how team channels can accelerate adoption within a launch window measured in weeks, not months. It also foreshadowed a broader competition for local partnerships as more books chase market share through team, media and retail alliances.

Together, these team-led campaigns fed into the surge of new accounts created before Dec. 1, which then converted quickly to activity in the first 24 hours.

Licenses, suppliers and the geolocation backbone

Missouri’s early supplier pipeline validated the state’s emphasis on compliance tech. Geolocation, in particular, served as both a gatekeeper and an indicator of scale once legal betting opened. Supplier applications noted over the summer included GeoComply, the industry’s primary location-verification vendor, among others. That presence—documented as part of the same slate of filings that brought Fanatics into the queue—set the table for high-volume, low-friction checks across the state’s borders and municipalities.

The initial distribution of activity concentrated where expected: Kansas City and St. Louis, supported by the local sports ecosystem, cross-border commuting patterns and population density. Reliable geofencing is critical in those corridors to keep wagers compliant and prevent leakage into neighboring jurisdictions where rules differ. Missouri’s launch showed the infrastructure could handle millions of checks quickly, a prerequisite for sustained engagement on NFL, NBA and NHL slates through December.

Supplier readiness also dovetailed with testing regimes from Gaming Labs International and others. Those audits underpin transaction integrity, latency, payout accuracy and responsible gambling tools, helping the market scale without sacrificing safeguards.

With more detailed reporting promised in the coming weeks, the state will be able to measure not just the headline traffic but also the distribution of activity by operator, sport and region—guidance that will shape promotions, partnerships and compliance priorities into 2025.

Contrast with neighboring enforcement

Missouri’s push into a regulated framework arrives as nearby states step up action against illegal books. In Tennessee, regulators have levied a cumulative wave of penalties against offshore operators that took bets without a license. The Sports Wagering Council most recently issued US$250,000 in fines across five illegal sites based in Costa Rica, Panama and Curacao, adding to a string of enforcement actions this year. The crackdown, detailed when the Tennessee sports betting regulator issued US$250,000 in fines to offshore operators, underscores the consumer risks of unlicensed markets and the incentives for bettors to migrate to legal options where data security and recourse are stronger.

The juxtaposition is instructive. As Tennessee pressures the gray market from the supply side, Missouri is absorbing demand with legal alternatives. For operators and policymakers, the two-pronged strategy—enforcement plus access—improves the odds of shrinking illegal market share. For consumers, the practical difference shows up in fund protections, dispute processes and responsible gambling tools.

Regional dynamics also matter for cross-border customers around Kansas City and the broader Mississippi River corridor. Effective geofencing and clear marketing help ensure bettors choose compliant apps, reducing exposure to unlicensed sites that have been the target of Tennessee’s actions.

Global guardrails and why they matter locally

Missouri’s debut also unfolds alongside a broader international push to curtail illegal online gambling. Indonesia offers a stark example: financial regulators and watchdogs there have ordered banks to freeze thousands of accounts tied to online gambling, part of a sweeping effort to shore up consumer protections and financial stability. Authorities moved to block more than 17,000 bank accounts linked to igaming, while a parallel action suspended over 5,000 accounts holding significant balances as the government intensified its crackdown.

The tactics differ from U.S. state-by-state regulation, but the rationale is similar: protect consumers, sever illegal cash flows and push activity into monitored channels. For Missouri, these international moves reinforce the stakes of building strong compliance from day one, including transaction monitoring, know-your-customer controls and cooperation with financial institutions.

The global lens highlights a key point for state markets: legal access alone does not eliminate illicit operators. Sustained vigilance—through payment screening, cyber patrols and public education—complements launches and promotions. Missouri’s early numbers show the pull of legal platforms when they are available and easy to use. Keeping that momentum will depend on continued coordination among regulators, teams, suppliers and banks to deter illegal alternatives.

As Missouri’s market matures past its opening weekend, the combination of structured licensing, team-driven engagement and robust supplier support positions the state to capture demand that has long existed. The external pressure—from nearby enforcement crackdowns to international financial controls—only increases the incentive for bettors to stay within regulated channels, where protections are clearer and the product is designed to scale responsibly.