Now that sportsbooks are legal in Missouri, it’s bettor beware | Opinion

Sports betting has arrived in Missouri as of this week. If you have watched any television over the last few months or been bombarded with online ads, you might have thought it was legal for weeks now.

Comedian Kevin Hart, social media influencers and even Emmy-award winning actor Jon Hamm, a St. Louis-native, have been singing the praises of how fun and profitable this will be.

If this is any indication of what is to come, The Kansas City Star Editorial Board has concerns about this new and convenient form of gambling.

To be clear, this board did endorse the ballot initiative that voters passed. In our deliberations, we believed — and still do — that adults can make their own decisions on how to handle these forms of entertainment. Casinos are legal, so this online form of betting should be, too.

But like casinos and even the lottery, there are dangers — even more so with an online form of betting on your smartphone. And as we know, smartphones are almost literally attached to our bodies.

As we wrote in our 2024 endorsement, the concerns are real: “But they won’t go away if voters reject Amendment 2: 38 states, including Kansas, Illinois, Iowa and Arkansas, now allow some type of sports wagering. Missourians can easily travel to other states to place legal bets on sporting events. For some, a bet on the Royals or Chiefs is just a 10-minute drive away. If sports betting is going to happen, and it is, we think it’s better to keep the money in the state.”

Perhaps the upside that must be mentioned is that gambling will generate money for Missouri. It establishes a 10% tax on sports gaming revenues, with the money to be used for elementary and secondary schools as well as colleges and universities. Of course, we don’t know how much the state will actually see or how it will disburse those funds. Your neighborhood school might not see a big increase, or one at all.

Also, the constitutional amendment allows sports books on gaming boats, on mobile phones and in what are called “professional sports betting districts.” We don’t know where in-person wagering stations could end up, but the language allows bettors to follow the Chiefs and the Royals wherever they move.

Bets not a solution to money problems

Once you sign up for an account with one of the online sportsbooks, you don’t have to leave your couch. You don’t have to leave your recliner. You don’t have to leave your bed.

A 2025 Kansas gambling survey found some concerning statistics: More than one-third of adults had placed a bet since the state legalized sports betting in 2022.

More concerning is that more people gamble to deal with money problems. The number of people placing bets to pay bills went up from 18.2% in 2017 to 38.2% in 2025.

We’ll get more into the survey later, but exactly what can you bet on?

Sports betting apps and sites allow adults to place wagers on legal forms of gambling— from the biggies such as NFL, NBA, MLB and college sports, to international tournaments such as soccer and rugby, to table games.

But with online betting, it seems you can wager on nearly anything: casino games, winter sports, franchise futures. Heck, you can even play the lottery on some partner sites.

What about the Grammys or the Academy Awards? Yep, you can bet on those, too, but it varies by state.

Betting on sports, personalities, music and movies? It seems like you could really get swept away. We call for moderation here — but for a lot of people, that’s easier said than done.

Entertainment or income?

The Mayo Clinic Health System, connected to North Kansas City Hospital through the Mayo Care Clinic, warns people about the dangers of gambling.

Psychiatrist Brien Gleeson posted on the Mayo blog. “It’s entertainment, not income. Otherwise, providers of that entertainment — casinos and online apps — would quickly be out of business.”

Gleeson posted warning signs. If a person exhibits four in a one-year period, that meets the criteria for a gambling disorder:

• Being preoccupied with gambling, including having persistent thoughts of reliving past gambling experiences, handicapping or planning the next venture, and thinking of ways to get money to gamble more.
• Being restless or irritable when attempting to cut down or stop gambling.
• Chasing your losses after losing money gambling by trying to gamble more to get back to even.
• Gambling when feeling distressed, helpless, guilty, anxious or depressed.
• Jeopardizing or losing a significant relationship, job or educational or career opportunity because of gambling.
• Lying to conceal the extent of your gambling.
• Making repeated unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back or stop gambling.
• Needing to gamble with increasing amounts of money to achieve the desired excitement.
• Relying on others to provide money to relieve desperate financial situations caused by gambling.

“The No. 1 rule for gambling is, ‘Don’t chase your losses.’ Ultimately, you will lose money gambling,” Gleeson wrote.

Kansas survey: ‘Cautious stance’

Kansas has studied gambling attitudes and behavior for more than a decade. What lessons can we learn from its experience?

That state has had legal sports betting since 2022. By 2025, more than one-third — 36.8% — of Kansas adults had placed a sports bet.

The Gambling Behaviors and Attitudes Among Adult Kansans Survey in 2012 was the first statewide study of adult gambling habits and opinions since the opening of the state’s first three casinos. It studied 1,600 adults using landlines and cellphones.

The 2025 report studied 1,647 adults online using survey software. Survey questions were available in English, Spanish, Vietnamese and Somali.

More than knowing how many people placed bets, the survey determines who is a risk for unhealthy betting of any kind.

Let’s stick to sports betting, and there’s some good news: In three years, the survey determined that while people are betting, it’s not becoming a widespread problem. More than a third reported placing a bet, but not on a regular basis. About 15% bet once or twice a month, and 2.4% bet daily or almost daily.

Survey participants expressed a “cautious stance toward sports betting.” Three-fourths (75.1%) said they disagreed or strongly disagreed with linking online sportsbook accounts to credit cards, and 71.2% said they agreed or strongly agreed that sports betting should be regulated to protect individuals from gambling-related harms.

It’s good that these survey respondents understood the financial risks and indicated a need for oversight so that gamblers don’t get in trouble. Of course, three years isn’t a long time, and we don’t yet know the long-term effects.

What we do know is that Missouri gamblers have crossed state lines to place sports bets, so it’s likely many already have accounts with the betting apps and websites. They’ll just have to change their address.

Resources

Kansas and Missouri have helplines for those needing help:

Missouri’s Problem Gambling Helpline: 888-BETS-OFF (888-238-7633) or 888betsoff.org is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to offer support, resources and referrals to anyone affected by problem gambling.

Kansas Coalition on Problem Gambling: 785-266-8666 or www.ksgamblinghelp.com

You might know the helpline 1-800-Gambler, but while that memorable number used to be run by the National Council on Problem Gambling, the organization lost its lease because of a legal dispute. It has returned to its old number, 800-522-4700.

We own our decision to endorse sports betting, because we’re adults here. And we acknowledge that the opportunities to gamble legally are more easily available today than ever before. But we also own the responsibility to share our concerns — and warn Missourians about the dangers that come with the temptation.