- Missouri sportsbooks took $325.2 million in September bets, up 56.7% from August, as the state saw its first football kickoff with legal betting.
- Free play jumped 167.3% to $13.6 million, leaving taxable revenue down 7.5% at $15.5 million.
- Football handle reached $95.1 million, more than 10 times August’s total.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri sportsbooks got their first football season from the start in September, and they paid for it with promos. The Missouri Gaming Commission’s September report shows handle climbed 56.7% from August to $325.2 million, but taxable revenue fell 7.5% to $15.5 million.
Sportsbooks missed most of last year’s football season. Missouri sports betting launched in December, so September was the first time they could chase bettors from opening week. Football handle jumped from $8.8 million in August to $95.1 million.
The revenue detail report shows sportsbooks deducted $13.6 million in free play, up from $5.1 million in August and the most since January’s $33.1 million. That equaled 45.8% of the $29.6 million they won before deductions.
As a result, Missouri’s taxes fell 6.6% from August to $1.57 million, even with 70% more bets placed. It didn’t help that legal sportsbooks held 9.1% compared to 10.9% in August.
Football didn’t add much on its own. Sportsbooks kept just 3.2% of NFL bets and other football wagers, or $3.1 million. Parlays carried the month, with sportsbooks keeping 16.9% of $121.5 million, or $20.6 million.
bet365 leaned on sportsbook bonuses the hardest. Its $2.4 million in free play equaled 9% of its $26.2 million handle, leaving just $100,736 in taxable revenue. FanDuel’s $5 million was the most in the state, while DraftKings used $4.2 million and produced $8.4 million in taxable revenue, more than half of Missouri’s total.
September’s promos still aren’t close to launch. In December, sportsbooks deducted $125.1 million in free play, more than the $104.3 million they won before deductions.
