Missouri Daily Fantasy Sports Sites: The Best DFS Sites for Legal Betting

Daily fantasy sports are in an odd legal position in America. Despite being a very popular pastime in the USA, DFS has not been legalized across the states. While some states have made playing DFS outright legal, others have left it in somewhat of a gray are by not ruling either way, while others still have chosen to outlaw it completely.

In Missouri, things are, thankfully, pretty clear. In May 2016, Governor Jay Nixon signed a bill to legalize Missouri daily fantasy sports and putting the Missouri Gaming Commission in charge of regulating it. The bill moved into law effective from 28th August of the same year.

Although DFS is legal in Missouri, online gambling is not. Online poker and casino games are not currently legal in the state, and online sports betting is under consideration but still illegal as well at the moment.

Todd Winkler, Editor at online-gambling.com

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Todd Winkler has been an editor at online-gambling.com for 6 years. His focus is on guides and articles about poker games, blackjack, and DFS. With relatives in New Zealand, he is also well aware of the gambling industry in the country.

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Online Daily Fantasy Sports in Missouri

At the end of 2015, Missouri Rep. Scott Fitzpatrick proposed a bill to make the fantasy sports industry legal in Missouri. It made the same argument as most other states who have – or are seeking to – made DFS legal; fantasy contests require skill and therefore should not be considered gambling, which relies on luck.

In May 2016, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon signed the fantasy sports regulatory bill. Coincidentally, this was the same day that Colorado’s governor also signed a bill overseeing the DFS industry. The Missouri bill passed on May 12th and the law took effect on 28th August. Governor Nixon said: “When a new frontier of online betting is available at the touch of a screen, we have a responsibility to protect consumers and young people. I appreciate the General Assembly for answering my call to bring forward common-sense consumer protection to make sure fantasy sports gaming in Missouri is operated responsibly and with accountability.”

The new law had various regulations attached to it, including putting DFS under the purview of the Missouri Gaming Commission. An annual licensing fee was set for operators and a tax on net revenue generated in the state was established at 11.5%.

Since Missouri daily fantasy sports are entirely legal, let’s take a look at some of the sports on offer.

Online Daily Fantasy NFL – Kansas City Chiefs

The NFL is a hugely popular fantasy league all over America. Residents of Missouri have more of a reason than others to keep up with this sport, since the state’s own Kansas City Chiefs play in the major leagues. Unfortunately, the team is currently on the longest playoff losing streak in NFL history, having lost twelve of their last fourteen playoff games. Despite this bad news, NFL fantasy is still popular and fun to play. To participate, simply choose nine players for your team and enter into a public or private competition. You are required to stay within a set salary cap when recruiting your players, so bear that in mind when making your choices.

Online Daily Fantasy MLB – Kansas City Royals

As with the NFL, Missouri residents have a reason to keep up with major league baseball: the Kansas City Royals. This team has played in four World Series, winning in 1985 and 2015, and losing in 1980 and 2014. To keep spirits up, the team mascot is a lion named Sluggerrr. He is known for his aggressive encouragement to players and fans alike and can sometimes be seen firing hot dogs from an air cannon. You will need to draft ten players to form a fantasy MLB team, of which no more than five can be hitters from one team. Again, you can enter into either a public or private competition.

Online Daily Fantasy MLS – Sporting Kansas City

Soccer is generally not associated with America as strongly as some of the other major league sports, but there is still a league for it (MLS) and a corresponding fantasy league too. Sporting KC were founded 24 years ago (originally as the Kansas City Wiz) and has two primary rivals: Real Salt Lake and Houston Dynamo. An MLS fantasy team needs eight players and must include players from at least three different teams. It is worth taking a look at the exact scoring system for this league as it has some uncommon rules. For example, at DraftKings, a penalty kick save will count as +2 PTs for the save and an additional +3 PTs are given for the penalty kick save.

Online Daily Fantasy NHL – St Louis Blues

The National Hockey League is generally not quite as popular as leagues such as the NFL and MLB. However, Missouri has a more vested interest than most since the St Louis Blues from St Louis, Missouri play in the league. There is currently a lot of buzz around this team as they won the 2019 Stanley Cup. When drafting your nine-man team for fantasy NHL, you must include players in the following positions: two centers, three wingers, two defensemen, one goalie, and one utility spot.

College Fantasy Baseball – Missouri Tigers

The Missouri Tigers athletics program is based at the Uni of M. The program is named after the Fighting Tigers or Columbia, a band of armed guards who protected Columbia from guerrillas during the Civil War. The team is well-known due to the number of now-famous players who were former Tigers. Famous alumni include Tim Laudner (played for the Minnesota Twins), Phil Bradley, and current major league player Ian Kinsler.

Timeline of Daily Fantasy Sports Legislation

The history of gambling in Missouri is a little less turbulent than in some other states. In the table below, we will take you through some of the more important events that took place in Missouri which still influences its gambling industry today. For more information on gambling in the state, you can take a look at your dedicated Missouri gambling page.

Legal Daily Fantasy Betting Age in Missouri

As in many states, the gambling age is not quite a straight forward as other legal age limits. The majority of gambling requires the player to be at least 21 years old but there are some exceptions. To play charity bingo, the lottery, or place wagers at pari-mutuel racetracks, Missouri only requires players to be 18 years old.

According to Missouri law, any underage person caught gambling can face a $500 misdemeanor fine. If that person is a repeat offender, they can face additional charges which may lead to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Betting online, at any age, is illegal in Missouri. It is a Class C misdemeanor and can lead to fifteen days in jail. If you are found to be a “professional” online gambler, you can face up to four years in prison.

• DFS Betting Age
  You must be at least 21 years old to play DFS in Missouri.
• Alcohol Age
  The minimum drinking age in the state of Missouri is 21 years old.
• Weed Age
  Using marijuana for recreational purposes is still illegal in the state of Missouri.

Is Daily Fantasy Betting Legal Outside of the State?

Daily fantasy sports are popular across the world, although the USA remains its biggest user. 10% of the population plays DFS in the USA, compared to only 5% in the United Kingdom. Despite this, many states have still not formally legalized DFS. There are many states where no laws have been passed regarding DFS, meaning that it can be played in the state, even though it has not explicitly been made legal.

This can be seen in a number of Missouri’s neighbors. Out of the eight states bordering Missouri, five of them have yet to pass legislation one way or the other regarding daily fantasy sports. In Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Nebraska you can play DFS without fear of prosecution, although no laws have made it legal. Looking at Missouri’s remaining neighbors, Kansas and Arkansas made DFS legal in 2015 and 2017 respectively, while it is still entirely illegal in Iowa.

The Best Fantasy Sports App in Missouri

There isn’t must that we can’t do on our smart phones anymore, so it is no great surprise that daily fantasy sports are also on offer on them. Most operators have optimised their sites for mobile use and many also have apps which can be downloaded from the app store. This makes drafting your players or keeping an eye on your team so easy. We have listed our favourite DFS app below.

Taxes on Daily Fantasy Winnings: Legal Overview

Gambling winnings are subject to both federal and state taxes. The federal tax is at a flat rate of 25% and the state tax differs depending on the state. Missouri withholds 4% of any prize on electronic gaming device jackpots or table game jackpots of $1,200 or more. All gambling winnings must be reported on your tax return. Gambling income includes winnings from lotteries, raffles, horse races, and casinos. You should keep an accurate record of your gambling winnings and losses (including when and where they took place) to aid your tax return.

Upcoming Regulation Changes to Be Aware Of

It seems likely that sports betting will be the next type of gambling to be made legal and regulated in Missouri. Two sports betting wills were introduced within a month of each other in 2018, and more have been introduced since then. While there has not been much movement on the subject yet, it is clear that lawmakers are opening the debate.

Daily Fantasy Guides for Nearby States

• Iowa
• Illinois
• Tennessee
• Arkansas