Missouri sports betting is still stuck in limbo, while the state of Vermont is making progress. Here is a look at where things stand in each state.

Missouri Residents Push For Sports Betting; Vermont Making Progress

The United States sports betting industry just continues to grow as there are now 35 states with at least some form of betting. That still leaves room for plenty of growth, and other states are looking to get in on the action as well.

Missouri and Vermont are two states in the next group to keep an eye on, and each state is at a different part of the process when it comes to this industry. One state has seen multiple attempts at legal sports betting fail, while the other is trying to figure out how to launch the industry.

News from the U.S. sports betting industry never seems to slow down, and Missouri and Vermont are looking to make some big moves heading into 2024.

Residents Making Moves in Missouri

The introduction of sports betting bills in the state of Missouri has become a yearly tradition, but so too has shutting down those bills before they ever come up for an official vote. There are so many big issues surrounding sports betting in Missouri, it’s unclear if lawmakers will ever be able to come up with an agreement.

Residents in Missouri have been vocal about their support for legal sports betting, and they are now willing to back that talk up and look to take some action. There have been four petitions aimed at legalizing sports betting filed with the Secretary of State.

The purpose of these petitions is to get a referendum on the ballot in 2024, and that would give voters the chance to legalize sports betting without the government. This might be the most logical path to sports betting in the state, and the professional sports teams in Missouri on board as well.

All four of the petitions call for both online and retail sports betting to be legalized, with the major difference coming in the number of licenses that would be available. The professional sports teams would be included in the industry with all of the petitions, and many in the state believe that there is enough support from voters to get it passed.

There is still some work to be done before these petitions will eventually lead to a ballot referendum, but things are trending in the right direction. If any of these referendums do pass then you will see sports betting in the state of Missouri by the end of 2025 at the latest.

Vermont Could Be Surprisingly Big Market

The state of Vermont has already passed a bill to legalize sports betting, and the next step is getting this industry launched. That process has been taking much longer than some would like, but progress has been made of late.

There could be as many as six online sports betting operators in the state of Vermont, and this state is expected to attract some of the biggest names in the industry. There won’t be any retail betting available in the state as the law will only allow online-only wagering.

The list of companies that have submitted bids to offer online sports betting in Vermont is impressive as that group includes BetMGM, DraftKings, Fanatics, FanDuel and PENN Entertainment. PENN just recently merged with ESPN, and that would allow the ESPN BET app to be available in the state.

Sports betting operators that are interested in a license will have to include how much tax revenue they will give back to the state. Other operators are expected to submit a bid as well, and it could be competitive when handing out the licenses.