Missouri's February Sports Betting Handle Drops 27% From January
Missouri saw its biggest month-over-month decline in sports betting 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 month-to-month taxes for the very first time.
- Basketball and parlays controlled the wagering landscape in February.
Show-Me State bettors put 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 represented $273 countless the total amount bet.
The deal with was also half of what Missourians spent in December 2025, the first month of sports betting in the state. The most affordable amount wagered yet resulted in $31.3 million in gross income for the 8 mobile and eight in-person operators, down 42% from January. February's 11.3% hold was the first under 14% also.
Still, the state's operators surpassed $1 billion in bets positioned throughout the first 3 months of sports betting and over $180 million in Missouri revenue.
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 earnings finished in the red both months.
The figure jumped to $10.3 million in February as DraftKings, FanDuel, and Fanatics, three major online sportsbooks, paid taxes for the very first time as free-play marketing spending dropped substantially from January to February.
All operators spent a $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 promotional wagers provided, down from $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 free plays.
DraftKings on the top
DraftKings created a state-best $104.9 million in handle throughout February, with gross income of $12.6 million prior to deductions, likewise leading Missouri online sports betting operators. However, FanDuel's 12.9% hold on a $92.5-million manage was nearly a point higher than DraftKings' February win rate.
bet365 was the only other operator to generate a deal with of $20 million, winning 10.8%. BetMGM produced a hold of just 6.8% on its $19.2-million deal with, while Fanatics stayed below 8.5% on nearly $18 million in wagers.
Caesars nearly produced a $12-million manage, but a 6% hold limited February profits. PENN Entertainment's theScore Bet enjoyed a 10.8% hang on a deal with 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 in between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots, created $11.7 million in wagers. January produced $72 million in football deal with, minus parlays, throughout the NFL playoffs and College Football Playoff.
Basketball was the most-bet sport in Missouri for the second consecutive month, producing a deal with of nearly $110 million in February. Missourians spent more than $91 million on parlays.