Is Missouri ready for the impacts of Online Sports Betting?
Published:
Nov 25, 2025
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04:01 p.m.
ET
Missouri’s launch of legal online sports betting, set for December 1, represents a major shift in how residents will interact with gambling. Following the narrow passage of Amendment 2 last November, Missouri joins the growing list of states expanding digital wagering, with projections of a large and eager user base. But as Missouri becomes the 39th state to legalize sports betting, clinicians, policymakers, and advocates warn that increased access often brings increased harm, and some aren’t sure that Missouri is fully prepared for those impacts.
Other states’ data has shown that once sports betting becomes accessible via mobile devices, the speed of losses, escalation of gambling behavior and severity of consequences rise sharply. As Missouri prepares for its rollout, those who are cautious emphasize the need for stronger treatment infrastructure, clearer prevention strategies and public awareness of how problem gambling develops, and how quickly it can worsen in mobile environments.
Missouri Sports Betting goes live on December 1, 2025
Missouri’s journey stretches back to the 2018 repeal of PASPA, which opened the door for each state to determine its own sports betting laws. Despite broad interest from professional teams and casino operators, legislative gridlock stalled efforts for years, leaving Missouri surrounded by legal markets in Illinois, Kansas and Iowa.
Voters ultimately approved Amendment 2 in November 2024, allowing both retail and online wagering. Around ten mobile sportsbooks have been approved by the Missouri Gaming Commission for launch.
Experts in Missouri have noted the “onslaught” of advertising that typically accompanies new betting markets. Companies like DraftKings and FanDuel have already increased billboard, TV and digital ads across the state. Google’s updated ad policies, effective August 15, now allow for expanded sportsbook advertising, amplifying industry visibility further.
Some operators highlight responsible gambling tools, but clinicians caution that many built-in protections lack meaningful or immediate safeguards and interventions.
Is Missouri ready for the societal impacts of increased sports betting?
According to reporting from St. Louis Public Radio and FOX4 News Kansas City, many experts believe Missouri is not equipped to handle an expected rise in gambling-related harm.
High prevalence, and severe consequences
According to a 2022 Kansas City study, more than 60% of Missouri adults gamble, and 1 in 5 meet the criteria for a gambling disorder. Among those with severe gambling problems, 27.5% had attempted or considered suicide.
Keith Spare, chair of the Missouri Alliance to Curb Problem Gambling, emphasized the risks of around-the-clock mobile access:
“With sports betting, you’ll be able to place a bet from your bedroom, your living room chair, your car in the parking lot, on break at work, literally anytime of the day or night.”
He noted that the primary concern is not necessarily an increase in the number of gamblers, but the speed with which harm escalates when betting is always within reach.
Missouri lacks dedicated gambling treatment
Compounding the risk is the near-absence of specialized gambling services in the state. Missouri’s last state-funded compulsive gambling program closed in 2021. Individuals often end up with well-meaning counselors who have no training in gambling-specific care.
Jordyn Hanson, a Certified Problem Gambling Counselor with University Health in Kansas City, was asked if Missouri is equipped with enough counselors to treat the people who need it. She stated: “It’s hard to say… I don’t think so.”
Hanson is reportedly the only local Kansas City certified counselor who can offer gambling treatment for free in-person.
According to Jennifer Johnson of the Missouri Department of Mental Health: “We absolutely need to increase the number of individuals that are specialized in providing problem gambling treatment services.”
What other states have seen after launching online sports betting
Missouri’s concerns are consistent with patterns seen in other states. States that newly legalize online sports betting have seen dramatic spikes in help-seeking behaviors:
Florida: 138% increase in helpline outreach within two months of sports betting launch
New Jersey: 277% increase in helpline outreach since 2018
New York: 26% rise in gambling calls in the first year of legal sports betting
Virginia: 973% increase in helpline calls since 2019
In addition, when Kansas legalized sports betting, calls to the Kansas Problem Gambling Helpline increased sixfold, and counselors reported a sharp rise in individuals for whom sports betting became a primary source of harm.
Nancy Lawman, a gambling addiction counselor in Kansas, shared, “When Kansas legalized sports betting in 2022, there was a notable increase in people coming to see me… Having the sports betting right there on the phone is just like carrying the casino around in your pocket.”
States that expanded wagering saw rapid increases not because more people began gambling, but because those already vulnerable began losing money faster, engaging more frequently and experiencing consequences sooner.
Gambling Addiction treatment in Missouri
As sports betting becomes accessible statewide, Missourians should know that effective, specialized treatment is available.
Birches Health provides virtual, evidence-based counseling for gambling disorder across all of Missouri, offering care through secure virtual sessions from the comfort of home. Many insurance plans are accepted, helping costs stay low (or fully covered) depending on coverage. Treatment with Birches is with certified clinicians trained specifically in gambling-related harm, including emotional, financial and relational impacts.
Take the first step toward recovery with Birches Health today:
Call 833-483-3838
Email help@bircheshealth.com
