Although Missouri voters approved statewide sports betting last fall, legal wagering will not begin until the 2025 NFL season is underway.

Shannon Lane, Gambling.com content strategist, noted that sports betting is required to start no later than Dec. 1 under the measure that voters approved.

Before betting can begin, state regulators first have to establish the rules and approve Missouri sports betting operators, which are expected to include major brands such as DraftKings, FanDuel, and others.

That process takes time.

“It’s not an overnight thing,” Lane said on Gambling.com’s “The Edge” during a recent episode. “Every state, including Missouri, really wants to get sports betting launches right.”

She said if Missouri’s sports betting launch is not done correctly, “there could be a lot of blowback.”

State officials are tasked with making sure a bettor’s money and data are protected, she said.

“It’s frankly not in the bettor's best interest for sportsbooks to go live immediately after they’re approved,” Lane said.

Breaking Down Missouri's Sports-Betting Timeline

‘Taylor Swift Effect’

Lane also mentioned that popular singer Taylor Swift’s romantic relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelceattracts attention to the state and could open up a pool of potential bettors.

Lane said there is a “Taylor Swift effect” in football that has shaken up some conventional wisdom about how the NFL operates, who the fans are, “and by extension who the bettors would be."

“At the very least, it’s gotten more eyeballs on football in Missouri and nationwide,” Lane said.