The trek across state lines will soon become a thing of the past for many Missouri sports bettors. Come Dec. 1, they won’t need to hit a gas station, restaurant or other destination in a neighboring state to place a bet on their Blues or Chiefs. Instead, they’ll be able to do it from the comfort of their homes at legal, regulated Missouri sportsbook apps.
As it turns out, a lot of Missouri residents are excited about the opportunity.
At BetMissouri.com, we looked at which of the state’s 50 most populated cities are clamoring to place a bet. We used Google Trends’ searches of “sports betting” over a three-month span (July 15 to Oct. 15, 2025). The Top 10, with ties, is below.
Rank | City | Searches Interest Compared To Other Topics |
1 | Kirkwood | 19 |
2 | Parkville | 16 |
3 | Kansas City | 7 |
T4 | Blue Springs | 6 |
T4 | Independence | 6 |
T6 | Wentzville | 5 |
T6 | Raytown | 5 |
T6 | Chesterfield | 5 |
T6 | Maryland Heights | 5 |
T10 | St. Louis | 4 |
T10 | Springfield | 4 |
T10 | Ballwin | 4 |
Take advantage of the best Missouri sports betting promo codes at BetMissouri.com for the launch.
With roughly 3.5 million Missouri residents, roughly 57% of the state, living either in the St. Louis or Kansas City regions, it’s no wonder the state’s two largest cities and its suburbs occupy 11 of the 12 communities on this list. Several of the suburbs are on the western side of St. Louis or the eastern edge of Kansas City, meaning they have the furthest to travel if they want to place a bet in Illinois or Kansas.
Missouri’s third-largest city, Springfield, also pops up on the list. The metro community with a population nearing 500,000 is about 50 miles from Arkansas – where sports betting options are limited by the state’s laws – and about 75 miles from rural Kansas. Even for the most ardent sports bettor, that’s too long of a drive to make regularly for a bet or two.
We already know that DraftKings and Circa Sports will have untethered licenses in the Show-Me State, but how many other sportsbooks are planning to put a stake in the ground in Missouri?
We might have an answer to that as soon as next week.
The Missouri Gaming Commission says it could start issuing temporary sports betting licenses as soon as Oct. 22. Those who get that permission can let bettors sign up for and deposit into online accounts as soon as Nov. 17.
Operators that submitted their applications ahead of the MGC’s Sept. 12 deadline include bet365, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, ESPN BET, Fanatics Sportsbook, FanDuel and Underdog Sports. Any operator that applied after the Sept. 12 could still be eligible for a license, but would not be guaranteed to start on Dec. 1 with other approved operators.
Once Missouri approves operators, visit BetMissouri.com, your source for the latest Missouri sports betting news, to get the latest reviews on each legal sports betting app.
USA Today photo by Nathan Papes/Springfield News-Leader
Author
Steve is an accomplished, award-winning reporter with more than 20 years of experience covering gaming, sports, politics and business. He has written for the Associated Press, Reuters, The Louisville Courier Journal, The Center Square and numerous other publications. Based in Louisville, Ky., Steve has covered the expansion of sports betting in the U.S. and other gaming matters.
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