Missouri Sports Betting Handle Declines In Second Month

Missouri's mobile sports wagering manage declined from December 2025 to January 2026 as a preliminary marketing blitz diminished and the number of prospective football video games to wager on decreased.


- Missouri's online sports betting handle dropped 29% from $538.8 million in December 2025 to $380.4 million in January 2026, while in-person handle a little increased.


- Tax revenue fell sharply, with sportsbooks paying $138,000 in January, a 74% decline from December, due to deductions for free-bet promos.


- FanDuel and DraftKings led the market, recording nearly three-quarters of bets over the very first two months, with DraftKings surpassing FanDuel in January.


The state's online deal with dropped from $538.8 million in its very first month with legal wagering down to $380.4 million in the 2nd, an approximately 29% month-over-month decline, the Missouri Gaming Commission reported. Missouri's eight in-person sportsbooks increased handle from $4.1 million to $4.7 million throughout that same time.


The drop was anticipated following a massive marketing blitz around the state's Dec. 1 launch date. Sportsbooks invested more than $125 million on free bets in December compared to a little more than $33 million in January.


Fewer opportunities to wager on football, the most popular sport in the state (and nation), likewise added to the decline, as there were less NFL and college football video games in January compared to December. Total football betting manage, not including parlays, declined more than 50% in between the 2 months, dropping from almost $152 million to $72 million.


Basketball took over as the most wagered-on sport in January, increasing manage from simply under $99 million in December to somewhat more than $109 million.


Missouri sportsbook taxes


The month-over-month decline in Missouri sports betting tax was more pronounced.


paid around $138,000 in taxes in January, a nearly 74% drop from the more than $521,000 paid in December. Retail books contributed almost a 3rd of the overall taxes despite accepting a little fraction of the bets compared to online platforms.


Like a lot of the other 31 states with statewide mobile sports wagering, Missouri allows sportsbooks to deduct free-bet marketing play versus their tax liabilities.


The books could also subtract their outstanding adjusted gross income losses from free bets for the previous month. The December promotions around the launch date will likely be the highest in state history, but it has however cut the state's capacity for tax generation.


ICYMI: DraftKings topped FanDuel for the No. 1 handle spot in Missouri in January; FD edged DK for the leading mark in December


DraftKings - $144.4 m.
FanDuel - $125.7 m.
bet365 - $34.0 m.
BetMGM - $33.0 m.
Fanatics - $21.0 m.
Caesars - $14.1 m.
theScore Bet - $6.7 m.
Circa Sports - $1.5 m


FanDuel, DraftKings, and Fanatics, the country's biggest sportsbooks by deal with, have not yet needed to pay taxes in Missouri on their sports wagering revenue due to their advertising deductions.


The books might continue significant promotional invest in February around the Super Bowl and in March for the NCAA Tournament, however figures are set to decrease significantly as the year advances. Missouri tasks to generate more than $20 million in annual sports betting taxes by 2030.


FanDuel and DraftKings promote launch


The country's two largest sportsbooks by market share extended that standing in Missouri's very first months of legal sports betting.


FanDuel, the No. 1 sportsbook by national handle share, topped the state's eight mobile books in December by accepting almost 40% of all bets positioned that month. FanDuel executives on a recent revenues call touted the "exceptional" launch, stating customer acquisition was "ahead of expectations."


Around 5% of Missouri's adult population placed a bet with FanDuel in the first thirty days of launch, making Missouri "one of our finest state launches to date," FanDuel wrote in its revenues statement.


DraftKings saw among its highest consumer acquisition penetration rates and its second-highest gross income per adult of any of its 18 jurisdiction launches since 2021, the company stated in its incomes report. DraftKings took over the leading spot in January from FanDuel, with 38% of the state's betting deal with to 33% for its competitor.


DraftKings has actually accepted $339.7 million in bets during Missouri's very first 2 months with sports betting, compared to $338.4 million for FanDuel. The pair has represented almost three-quarters of all bets placed in the state.