Missouri sports betting revenue falls 36% in June as World Cup cuts sportsbook hold
The decline ended five consecutive months of hold growth for the state’s new regulated sports betting market.
US.- Missouri sportsbooks generated $13.7m in gross gaming revenue from $ 258.3m in wagers during June, the seventh month of the newly regulated market. Figures released by the Missouri Gaming Commission show that although the handle remained steady month-on-month, revenue fell 35.7 per cent from May as the hold dropped from 8.29 per cent to 5.29 per cent.
Lower revenue reduced tax collections, with the state receiving $1.37m in June, down from $ 2.13m the previous month. The decline came during and coincided with the FIFA World Cup, which compressed sportsbook margins across multiple US jurisdictions.
Missouri launched legal sports betting on December 1 2025 and, after an initial period shaped by promotional spending, operators had seen five consecutive months of improving hold. Margins stood at 3.82 per cent in December and 1.74 per cent in January before rising to 3.72 per cent in February, 6.30 per cent in March, 7.42 per cent in April and 8.29 per cent in May.
World Cup reverses five-month hold growth
The World Cup impact was amplified by the market’s early stage of development, with operators still absorbing promotional spending tied to customer acquisition. Missouri’s performance mirrored a broader pattern across regulated US markets. The sportsbook hold fell from 14.61 per cent to 5.63 per cent in Michigan, from 13.81 per cent to 5.43 per cent in Pennsylvania and from 12.52 per cent to 5.19 per cent in New York in June, highlighting the impact of World Cup betting on operators nationwide.
