Missouri's February Sports Betting Handle Drops 27% From January

Missouri saw its biggest month-over-month decline in to date in February.


- Missouri's sports betting manage went from $380.4 million in January to $277 million in February.


- The state took over $1 million in regular monthly taxes for the very first time.


- Basketball and parlays dominated the betting landscape in February.


Show-Me State bettors put 16.8% fewer bets throughout the month including 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 accounted for $273 million of the total amount bet.


The handle was also half of what Missourians spent in December 2025, the first month of sports betting in the state. The most affordable amount bet yet resulted in $31.3 million in gross revenue for the 8 mobile and 8 in-person operators, down 42% from January. February's 11.3% hold was the first under 14% too.


Still, the state's operators exceeded $1 billion in bets positioned throughout the first 3 months of sports wagering and over $180 million in Missouri income.


Tax implications


Missouri experienced its most significant tax haul to date, creating $1.2 million in February. December and January produced less than $600,000 because operators' overall taxable income completed at a loss both months.


The figure jumped to $10.3 million in February as DraftKings, FanDuel, and Fanatics, 3 major online sportsbooks, paid taxes for the very first time as free-play marketing spending dropped significantly from January to February.


All operators spent a combined $11.4 million on complimentary plays, down from December's $125 million and January's $33 million. FanDuel led all sportsbooks with $4.6 million in advertising wagers given, below $14.6 million in January, while DraftKings spent $3.6 million in free plays, $6 million less than the previous month. Fanatics contributed over $815,000, cutting January's costs by over half, and bet365 was the only other operator to surpass $1 million in February totally free plays.


DraftKings on leading


DraftKings generated a state-best $104.9 million in deal with throughout February, with gross revenue of $12.6 million prior to deductions, likewise leading Missouri online sports betting operators. However, FanDuel's 12.9% hang on a $92.5-million manage was almost a point higher than DraftKings' February win rate.


bet365 was the only other operator to generate a manage of $20 million, winning 10.8%. BetMGM produced a hold of just 6.8% on its $19.2-million handle, while Fanatics stayed listed below 8.5% on nearly $18 million in wagers.


Caesars practically produced a $12-million handle, but a 6% hold restricted February earnings. PENN Entertainment's theScore Bet enjoyed a 10.8% hold on a handle of over $5 million, while Circa Sports made back less than $70,000 on a $1.4-million handle.


Football betting drops off


The lone football video game of February, Super Bowl LX between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots, produced $11.7 million in wagers. January produced $72 million in football manage, minus parlays, during the NFL playoffs and College Football Playoff.


Basketball was the most-bet sport in Missouri for the second consecutive month, producing a handle of almost $110 million in February. Missourians invested more than $91 million on parlays.