- New data from GeoComply shows thousands of Missourians are crossing state lines to bet on sports
- The geolocation compliance company identified over 216,000 online sports betting accounts in the Show-Me State
- From Sept. 5 through Oct. 21, the company blocked 11.1 million geolocation checks from devices in the state trying to access legal sportsbooks in other states
New data published today by GeoComply, a geolocation compliance company, shows Missourians are trying to access legal sportsbooks in droves and will go as far as crossing state lines to do so.
GeoComply reported that from Sept. 5, 2024, through Oct. 21, 2024, more than 11.1 million geolocation checks were blocked from devices located in Missouri trying to access legal online sportsbooks in other states.
The company also identified thousands of Missourians during that time period who traveled across state lines to place online sports bets in legalized markets.
Thousands of Missourians Crossing State Lines to Bet
The data, which was published by GeoComply and shared by the Winning for Missouri Education campaign, comes less than week prior to state voters deciding the fate of legalized sports betting in the Show-Me State. Residents voting in this year’s election will decide on Amendment 2, which seeks to legalize retail and online sports betting in the state.
The company identified more than 216,000 online sports betting user accounts in Missouri, which accounted for the 11.1 million geolocation checks in the state. According to GeoComply, 37% of the checks were attempting to access legal sportsbooks in Kansas and 57% of the checks were attempting to access legal sportsbooks in Illinois.
The attempts to access the Kansas and Illinois online sportsbooks from Missouri were blocked by the company, but that didn’t necessarily stop Missourians from placing bets in those states. According to the company, since Sept. 5, 2024, 3,745 sportsbook accounts originating in Missouri were also geolocated in Kansas a short time later, which likely shows that they were crossing the border to place sports bets in the legal Kansas market.
Additionally, 2,807 accounts originating in Missouri were then geolocated in Illinois a short time later as well, another legalized sports betting state.
The company also analyzed geolocation checks on Monday, Sept. 5, 2024 at Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs hosted the Baltimore Ravens on this date for the first Monday Night Football game of the NFL season and GeoComply blocked nearly 21,000 geolocation checks from devices at the stadium. The company identified over 3,600 online sports betting account users at the stadium during the game as well.
Sports Betting Answer By Next Week
Missouri’s sports betting fate will be decided by voters during next week’s Nov. 5 general election. After years of failed legislative efforts to legalize sports betting, Missouri voters will make a determination at the polls when deciding on Amendment 2.
If approved, each Missouri sports team and casino would be eligible to operate retail and online sports betting. Each team and land-based casino would be eligible for one retail sports betting license and one online sports betting license each. Each individual team and casino would be able to partner with up to one online sports betting operator.
In total, the state could see 19 retail sports betting licenses and 21 online sports betting licenses under this framework.
The post Thousands of Missourians Crossing Border to Place Sports Bets appeared first on Sports Betting Dime.
