Missouri is off to a great start with the Show-Me State launching its sports betting offer on Monday with eight licenses answering the call. Among them were Caesars, bet365, Circa Sports, DraftKings, FanDuel, Fanatics, theScore Bet, and BetMGM.
Underdog was also supposed to roll out on Monday, but it withdrew its license quietly, possibly over the Missouri Gaming Commission’s opposition to sports event contracts, which the company is determined to pursue in other jurisdictions.
In the meantime, GeoComply, a compliance, fraud-prevention, and geolocation specialist company, said that there were 2.6 million checks in the first 24 hours of launching the market, indicating strong interest already.
The account total came close to 340,000 on the first day of legal online sports betting in Missouri, with 250,000 accounts registered on the day, and 188,000 others registered in the preliminary window between November 17-30.
GeoComply CEO Kip Levin welcomed the opportunity to share the latest data on the market launch and said:
“Missouri has shown for years that it’s one of the most eager states in the country for legal sports betting. What we’ve seen in the first 24 hours is remarkable. Tens of thousands of Missourians immediately joined safe, regulated platforms the moment they became legal. It’s a powerful reminder of how quickly consumers embrace a well-regulated market when the option finally exists.”
Missouri is a state of more than 6 million people, and the early signs are a strong suggestion that Internet gambling will enjoy a strong uptake.