Sports fans in Missouri will be able to legally wager on the Super Bowl for the first time this year, a milestone state officials and sportsbooks expect to drive increased betting activity statewide.
The American Gaming Association, a gambling industry group, estimates Americans will legally wager a record $1.76 billion on Sunday’s game, with Missouri’s newly legal sportsbooks contributing to that total.
Missouri gambling regulators anticipate the Super Bowl will generate a surge in wagering through regulated sportsbooks.
“You’ll see an uptick in bets,” said Jan Zimmerman, chair of the Missouri Gaming Commission.
The commission will be monitoring betting closely, Zimmerman said, but does not have estimates for the taxes that will be generated from gambling companies' revenue tied specifically to the Super Bowl.
“The real comparison will be Super Bowl 2026 compared to Super Bowl 2027,” Zimmerman said, noting that this year establishes a baseline for legal wagering in the state.
Gambling operators are preparing for increased interest, both online and in person. Fanatics Sportsbook is available online in Missouri and has two retail locations in the state, one at Ameristar Casino Kansas City and another at Ameristar Casino St. Charles.
Kevin Hennessy, vice president of industry communications for Fanatics Sportsbook, said the Super Bowl is often treated by bettors as entertainment rather than a high-stakes financial endeavor.
“It's a way to make the Super Bowl a little more fun and have something extra to root for besides just who's gonna win the game, but you're doing it in a responsible way,” Hennessy said
Multiple sportsbooks available to Missouri bettors are rolling out promotional offers to boost fan engagement for the Super Bowl, including DraftKings’ special 30% profit boost on same-game parlay bets.
Harrah’s Kansas City, Horseshoe St. Louis and Isle of Capri Boonville are featuring promotions through Caesars Sportsbook, which is offering a promo code for new users.
As sportsbooks look to capitalize on the Super Bowl, they face competition from prediction markets like Kalshi and Poymarket. These platforms, which allow users to buy and sell contracts tied to the outcome of real-world events, have been the target of vocal opposition from casinos and online sportsbooks.
A joint letter the American Gaming Association and Indian Gaming Association sent to members of Congress last month warned that prediction markets "mislead consumers into believing that a sports bet is an investment" and lack basic safeguards required of regulated betting.
Despite their rapid rise, prediction markets will not be advertised during the Super Bowl broadcast, Front Office Sports reported. The NFL has barred prediction-market commercials from its broadcasts, citing concerns about game integrity and the lack of safeguards.
Missouri Business Alert reporter Drew Lanio contributed to this story.
