Missouri's February Sports Betting Handle Drops 27% From January
Missouri saw its biggest month-over-month decrease in sports wagering to date in February.
- Missouri's sports betting deal with went from $380.4 million in January to $277 million in February.
- The state took over $1 million in monthly taxes for the first time.
- Basketball and parlays controlled the wagering landscape in February.
Show-Me State wagerers placed 16.8% fewer bets throughout the month featuring the Super Bowl than in January, and the Missouri Gaming Commission reported a $277-million online and retail combined deal with, down 27.2% month over month from $380.4 million. Online sportsbooks for $273 million of the overall amount bet.
The handle was also half of what Missourians invested in December 2025, the first month of sports wagering in the state. The most affordable quantity wagered yet led to $31.3 million in gross revenue for the eight mobile and eight in-person operators, down 42% from January. February's 11.3% hold was the first under 14% too.
Still, the state's operators went beyond $1 billion in bets placed throughout the first three months of sports betting and over $180 million in Missouri earnings.
Tax implications
Missouri experienced its most significant tax haul to date, producing $1.2 million in February. December and January produced less than $600,000 because operators' total taxable profits ended up in the red both months.
The figure jumped to $10.3 million in February as DraftKings, FanDuel, and Fanatics, 3 significant online sportsbooks, paid taxes for the first time as free-play promotional spending dropped considerably from January to February.
All operators invested a combined $11.4 million on free plays, below December's $125 million and January's $33 million. FanDuel led all sportsbooks with $4.6 million in advertising wagers provided, down from $14.6 million in January, while DraftKings invested $3.6 million in free plays, $6 million less than the previous month. Fanatics contributed over $815,000, cutting January's spending by over half, and bet365 was the only other operator to exceed $1 million in February totally free plays.
DraftKings on the top
DraftKings created a state-best $104.9 million in deal with throughout February, with gross profits of $12.6 million prior to reductions, likewise leading Missouri online sports wagering operators. However, FanDuel's 12.9% hang on a $92.5-million handle was nearly a point greater than DraftKings' February win rate.
bet365 was the only other operator to generate a handle of $20 million, winning 10.8%. BetMGM produced a hold of just 6.8% on its $19.2-million deal with, while Fanatics stayed listed below 8.5% on nearly $18 million in wagers.
Caesars practically produced a $12-million deal with, however a 6% hold restricted February profits. PENN Entertainment's theScore Bet delighted in a 10.8% hold on a manage of over $5 million, while Circa Sports made back less than $70,000 on a $1.4-million deal with.
Football betting drops off
The only football video game of February, Super Bowl LX between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots, created $11.7 million in wagers. January produced $72 million in football handle, minus parlays, during the NFL playoffs and College Football Playoff.
Basketball was the most-bet sport in Missouri for the second successive month, producing a handle of almost $110 million in February. Missourians spent more than $91 million on parlays.