Missouri

Sporting gambling in Missouri: Betting coming to Chiefs tailgates in less than 6 weeks

Published

8 months ago

October 22, 2025

Press Room

Sporting gambling in Missouri: Betting coming to Chiefs tailgates in less than 6 weeks

KSHB 41 reporter Tod Palmer covers sports business and eastern Jackson County. Share your story idea with Tod.

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In less than six weeks, fans will be able to live bet sports from their game-day tailgate or inside GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium during Chiefs games.

Sporting gambling in Missouri: Betting coming to Chiefs tailgates in less than 6 weeks

When Kansas City hosts the Washington Commanders on Monday Night Football next week, it will mark the last home primetime game before legalized sports gambling goes live in Missouri.

“I’ll be thankful, very thankful,” Marcus Burns, a former Chiefs season ticket member, said Tuesday after buying a hat at the team store inside Arrowhead.

He’s among the Chiefs fans who have been forced to go to great lengths to put money on a game as sports gambling became legal in seven of the eight states surrounding Missouri, including Kansas and Illinois, while infighting within the Show-Me State legislature scuttled legalization efforts year after year.

“Normally, friends I go (to games) with are on the Kansas side, so we go over there, pick them up and place our bets,” Burns said. “Then, we come over here.”

If a player is a surprise inactive and you’re already at the tailgate, too bad. That net is locked in there’s no changing it from the Arrowhead parking — at least not until Dec. 1.

“We expect big things out of Missouri sports betting out of the gate,” Christopher Boan, an analyst for BetMissouri.com, said. “This is a market that has been pent up for a long time.”

BetMissouri projects more than $65.6 million in total wagers during the first week sports gambling is legal in Missouri.

The Chiefs host the Houston Texans on Sunday Night Football to cap the week. The Dec. 7 game will air on KSHB 41.

Earlier that day, the Border Showdown between No. 19 Kansas and arch-rival Mizzou takes place at the T-Mobile Center in downtown Kansas City, while the week also features four St. Louis Blues games and a full slate of college football conference championships games.

The NFL playoffs arrive during the second month sports gambling is legal in Missouri followed by the Super Bowl, the Winter Olympics and March Madness, leading BetMissouri to project a total handle of more than $262.6 million in the first four months.

“It’s one of the best sports markets in America, and it’s got a real potential from day one to kind of become one of the upper echelon states sports betting-wise,” Boan said.

Missouri voters narrowly approved Amendment 2 in November 2024, which legalized betting on sports in the state. Sports-gambling revenues are subject to a 10% tax and player props for in-state college athletes are prohibited under Missouri law, though they are legal in neighboring states.

Missouri Gaming Commission Chair Jan Zimmerman is in charge of managing the rollout of sports gambling in the state.

I’ve spoken with Zimmerman, who is also the director of the Kansas City Metropolitan Crime Commission’s SAFE Fund, several times about sports gambling in Missouri during last year’s election and in the months since Amendment 2’s passage.

On Tuesday, I asked her, “If you needed, could you guys go live today?”

Zimmerman laughed: “No, absolutely not. I know everybody would like for us to go live, but we’ve got to make sure we do it right.”

Before the geofencing on apps comes down and sports books open up, the Gaming Commission must finish vetting all prospective employees in the sports-wagering industry, a process that includes Missouri State Highway Patrol background checks among other things.

“Our folks have worked so hard,” Zimmerman said. “I know that they’re anxious to see all their work come to fruition. … Anytime you’re building something from scratch, you’re really invested in seeing it be successful.”

The wait will be over soon.

“It’ll be something different to be able to do that here and stay in Missouri, to go to the local bars and be able to place your bets while you’re there as well,” Burns said.

Missouri’s total handle in the first year is expected to approach $3.88 billion dollars, according to Boan.

“That money has been exiting the state, going to Iowa, going to Kansas, going to Illinois, pretty much going everywhere except Missouri,” Boan said. “You have markets all around you. You know — water, water everywhere, but none to drink.”

Missouri is the only state launching sports gambling in 2025, so the Dec. 1 launch is expected to draw a tremendous amount of attention.

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Missouri

Children receive custom playhouses at Habitat for Humanity’s first-ever playhouse build event

Published

6 hours ago

June 27, 2026

Press Room

Children receive custom playhouses at Habitat for Humanity’s first-ever playhouse build event

Children in the Jefferson City area received custom-built playhouses Saturday during River City Habitat for Humanity’s first Playhouse Build event at Capital Mall.

Local businesses, volunteers and community organizations spent the day assembling and decorating the playhouses. Each playhouse was designed around a child’s favorite colors, hobbies and interests.

The children and their families were presented with the finished playhouses at the end of the event.

River City Habitat for Humanity said the event was created to give children a special place to imagine and play while bringing the community together in support of the organization’s mission.

“A playhouse may seem like a simple structure, but to a child it’s a castle, a clubhouse, a fort, or a place where their imagination can come to life,” Susan Cook, the executive director of River City Habitat for Humanity, said in a news release. “We hope this becomes a tradition that our community looks forward to each year.”

Nine teams participated in the inaugural event, including Hitachi, Samco Business Products, Jefferson City Medical Group, the Home Builders Association, Capital City Business Builders BNI, Jefferson City Parks, Habitat Women Build and community volunteer teams.

Hitachi served as the event’s presenting sponsor.

“Our team was super excited about sponsoring it because we are giving back to the community and we are giving back to little people,” Leanna Ritter, a Hitachi Energy employee, said. “What’s better than little people?”

Scruggs Lumber donated the plywood used to build the playhouses, and Sherwin-Williams donated the paint.

River City Habitat for Humanity has partnered with local families, volunteers, businesses and community organizations since 1993. The nonprofit says it has helped build more than 138 affordable homes in the Jefferson City area.

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Missouri

Lake of the Ozarks ranks among cleanest US lakes, study finds

Published

16 hours ago

June 27, 2026

Press Room

Lake of the Ozarks ranks among cleanest US lakes, study finds

One of Missouri’s largest lakes is among the cleanest in the nation, according to a new report.

A study conducted by Lake.com, a vacation rental platform for properties near or on water, focused on the 100 largest lakes in the United States and their chemical data from Jan. 1, 2020, to July 15, 2025.

The lakes were tested for eight of the most commonly measured characteristics that can suggest their cleanliness, including pH, ammonia and lead.

What’s the cleanest lake in Missouri?

Lake.com rated the Lake of the Ozarks as the fourth-cleanest lake in the country.

The lake earned a 1.85 out of 10 in its pollution score, bolstered primarily by its low pH and sulfate levels, as well as its lack of lead and ammonia.

The report listed the following measurements for the lake:

Dissolved oxygen: 7.5 mg/L
Phosphorus: 0.01 mg/L
Sulfate: 1.66 mg/L
Turbidity: 2.3 NTU
Difference from pH7: 2.3 pH
Pollution score: 1.85/10

What did Lakes.com have to say about Lake of the Ozarks?

“With 54,000 surface acres and 1,150 miles of shoreline, more coastline than the entire state of California, it is the largest non-flood-control man-made lake in the United States. The lake’s distinctive serpentine shape, stretching 92 miles from Bagnell Dam to the lake’s western reach, earned it the nickname “The Magic Dragon.” The lake extends across four Missouri counties, Camden, Morgan, Miller, and Benton, with the city of Osage Beach at the busy southeastern junction of the main channel and the Grand Glaize arm serving as the region’s commercial hub.”

What are the cleanest lakes in the nation?

Lake.com lists these lakes as the cleanest in the nation:

Lake Superior (Michigan/Minnesota/Wisconsin/Ontario)
Lake Chelan (Washington)
Lake Hartwell (Georgia/South Carolina)
Lake of the Ozarks (Missouri)
Lake Pend Oreille (Idaho)
Lake Winnibigoshish (Minnesota)
Kentucky Lake (Kentucky/Tennessee)
Lake Norman (North Carolina)
Lake Mead (Arizona/Nevada)
Flathead Lake (Montana)

What are the dirtiest lakes in the nation?

Lake.com lists the following lakes as the dirtiest lakes in the nation:

Lake Okeechobee (Florida)
American Falls Reservoir (Idaho)
Lake Texoma (Oklahoma, Texas)
Eufaula Lake (Oklahoma)
Lake Clark (Alaska)
Lake George (Florida)
Utah Lake (Utah)
Oneida Lake (New York)
Pyramid Lake (Nevada)
Richland-Chambers Reservoir (Texas)

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Missouri

First-generation-American students remind Missouri politicians why unity, freedom of speech are so important ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary

Published

1 day ago

June 26, 2026

Press Room

First-generation-American students remind Missouri politicians why unity, freedom of speech are so important ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary

Phoenix’s Stage 1 fire restrictions could limit where people can use fireworks ahead of Fourth of July celebrations. Phoenix leaders say professional fireworks shows are still planned, but they’re urging residents to leave the fireworks to the pros. Under the city’s updated rules, fireworks are banned on city property and within one mile of mountain preserves, desert parks and wilderness areas. Pop-up fireworks tents are appearing across the city, but police are already checking for vendors selling without permits. Anyone caught setting off fireworks illegally could face a $2,500 fine, possible jail time and even bigger costs if they start a fire.

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