Missouri Sports Betting Volume Drops 27% During February

(AsiaGameHub) –   Sports betting activity in Missouri slowed significantly in February, as betting volume, revenue, and promotional expenditures all decreased compared to January. Despite this drop, the market still surpassed $1 billion in total wagers over its initial three months.

Good to Know

• Missouri recorded a sports betting handle of $277 million in February, a 27.2% decrease from January.
• Gross revenue declined to $31.3 million, marking a 42% drop month-over-month.
• State tax revenue reached a new high of $1.2 million due to a reduction in promotional deductions.

February Pullback Impacts Handle, Revenue, and Promotions

Missouri bettors placed fewer wagers in February, and the decline was substantial. The Missouri Gaming Commission reported a combined retail and online handle of $277 million, down from January’s $380.4 million. Online platforms accounted for $273 million of that total.

Gross revenue for the eight mobile and eight retail operators stood at $31.3 million. This was the lowest handle since the market launched in December 2025 and the first time the monthly hold rate fell below 14%, ending at 11.3%. Still, operators have now taken more than $1 billion in bets during the first three months of legal sports wagering, while Missouri’s total revenue has exceeded $180 million.

The tax landscape shifted in the opposite direction. Missouri collected $1.2 million in February, its best month to date. December and January both saw tax collections below $600,000 because taxable revenue turned negative after heavy promotional deductions. This changed in February as free-play spending dropped to $11.4 million, down from $33 million in January and $125 million in December.

FanDuel distributed $4.6 million in promotional wagers, down from $14.6 million the previous month. DraftKings cut its free-play spending by $6 million to $3.6 million. Fanatics offered over $815,000, less than half its January amount. bet365 was the only other operator with free-play spending above $1 million.

DraftKings Leads as Football Betting Wanes

DraftKings topped Missouri’s online sportsbooks in February with a handle of $104.9 million and gross revenue of $12.6 million. FanDuel followed with $92.5 million in handle and $11.9 million in revenue, boosted by a 12.9% hold rate nearly a full point higher than DraftKings’.

bet365 was the only other operator with a handle over $20 million, taking in $20.4 million and holding 10.8%. BetMGM handled $19.2 million but had a hold rate of just 6.8%. Fanatics maintained a hold rate under 8.5% on nearly $18 million in wagers. Caesars came close to $12 million in handle, but a 6% hold rate kept profits modest. theScore Bet posted a 10.8% hold rate on more than $5 million in wagers, while Circa Sports earned less than $70,000 on a $1.4 million handle.

Football betting fell sharply once the postseason schedule thinned out. Super Bowl LX between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots generated $11.7 million in wagers. In January, football handle excluding parlays hit $72 million during the NFL playoffs and College Football Playoff.

Basketball led Missouri’s betting market for the second straight month with nearly $110 million in handle. Parlays also played a major role, attracting more than $91 million in wagers.