GeoComply’s first look at the Missouri sports betting launch confirms what many across the industry suspected: the Show-Me State was more than ready.
According to data released on December 2 by GeoComply, a leading geolocation and fraud-prevention provider used by most U.S. sportsbooks, more than 2.6 million checks were logged in Missouri during the first 24 hours of legal online betting. In that same window, more than 250,000 sports betting accounts were active, and nearly 188,000 accounts had pre-registered during the two weeks leading up to December 1.
For a state of roughly 6.2 million people, that’s a big opening day footprint. We’ll get an even clearer read on Missouri’s appetite for betting this Sunday, when the first full NFL slate hits and the Chiefs close the day in primetime.
This Surge Shouldn’t Surprise Anyone
Missouri’s numbers look explosive, but the groundwork has been visible for years.
Here are two examples:
- Ahead of the 2024 Super Bowl, GeoComply reported about 431,000 online betting attempts from inside Missouri were blocked over Super Bowl weekend, coming from at least 40,000 unique users. Nearly half of those attempts were aimed at sportsbooks in Kansas, and more than a third at operators in Illinois.
- More than 280,000 sports betting accounts in Missouri were linked to legal operators in Illinois and Kansas over about a year, a clear sign that residents were regularly crossing state lines (virtually and physically) to place legal bets elsewhere.
Put together, the picture is pretty straightforward: long before voters approved Amendment 2 and the market went live, Missouri was clamoring to join the list of active betting states. Now, sports fans can claim Missouri betting promos and everything else that goes along with having a legalized market.
Comparing Missouri's Launch
If you’re looking for a clean benchmark, Kentucky is a decent comparison given the similar population sizes and mix of brands that closely mirrors the Missouri sportsbook apps that launched.
Here's a quick look at the datapoints released for both states:
| Population | Geolocation Checks (first 24 hours) | Active Accounts (first 24 hours) | |
| Missouri | ~6.2 million | 2.6 million+ | 250,000+ |
| Kentucky | ~4.6 million | ~2.0 million | ~200,000 |
On raw volume, Missouri edges ahead of Kentucky’s first-day performance, which lines up with what GeoComply and others have been signaling: years of border betting and blocked attempts created a large, ready-to-flip switch once legal options finally appeared.
